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Johnny Baartman, a former teacher from Gqeberha, was sentenced to an effective 25 years' imprisonment for the murder of his ex-wife and mother of his two children at their home on Nagel Street, Extension 29, Bethelsdorp in June 2023.
Baartman pleaded guilty to murder and defeating the ends of justice in the Gqeberha High Court on May 5.
In Baartman's plea agreement statement, which was read out in court by his legal representative, Kuban Chetty, Baartman said that an altercation, sparked by a fight over the changing of a television channel, resulted in the murder with a wooden pickaxe handle of Desiree Baartman. He disposed of her body by putting it in a manhole drain in an isolated place in the Booysens Park area.
The couple, who were divorced at the time of the murder, still shared the same house. According to Baartman's statement, this was done for the sake of their children.
Baartman's son and daughter, along with family and friends, filled the courtroom gallery and listened to Baartman's statement of how events unfolded on the night of the murder. Throughout the court proceedings, Baartman, dressed in a white shirt and jeans, cried uncontrollably as the events of June 12, 2023, were retold for the court.
According to Baartman, they had a strained relationship and avoided each other. On the night of the murder, Baartman had a headache and decided to purchase painkillers and electricity before taking a nap. He woke up around 9 pm and went to the lounge.
"Upon entering the lounge, I noticed that the television was on, and Desiree was not present. I changed the channel to a sports program. Desiree then entered the lounge and confronted me aggressively about the channel change. I explained that I thought the room was empty and was unaware she was using the television."
Baartman left the house to get a pie and cooldrink from the car, which he had purchased earlier. Desiree locked him out of the house, and after a while, she opened the door. According to Baartman, Desiree stood in the doorway and once again verbally abused him and hurled profanities, telling him to leave the premises.
Baartman said that Desiree smacked him on the back of the head upon entering the house. He then grabbed a wooden pickaxe handle, that was kept at the side of the kitchen door.
"While struggling, we were moving toward the passage area leading to the rooms. We both fell to the floor, whereby I was on top of the deceased. The deceased grabbed an ornamental Absolute Vodka bottle, which was covered with a leatherette case and decorated with studs, prior to falling to the ground.
"She tried to assault me with this bottle, but I grabbed the said bottle from her hand and assaulted her with the same, predominantly on her head. I thereafter started to beat the deceased with the pickaxe wooden handle, continuously, on the upper body area, mostly on her head."
Baartman recollected that after he realized Desiree was dead, he was in a state of shock and decided to visit his sister in Kariega to confess his actions. En route, he drove past the Uitenhage turnoff and stopped where the road ended. Upon exiting his vehicle to gather his thoughts, he noticed a stormwater drain. It was then that he decided to hide Desiree's body within this drain.
Upon returning to their home, he realised he had left the back door open in his rush to leave. To manage the excessive bleeding, he wrapped Desiree's head in several towels and placed her body in a sleeping bag. He then disposed of her body in the drain. The following morning, on June 13, 2023, Baartman cleaned the blood-stained areas of their home.
After their son became concerned about his mother's whereabouts, Baartman accompanied his son to the Bethelsdorp police station to report her missing. He added that on June 16, 2023, he contacted Warrant Officer Killian to confess his crime. Subsequently, he was arrested on June 17, 2023.
The court papers disclosed that Desiree died as a result of wounds consistent with blunt force trauma to the head and thorax, with force applied to the neck.
After Acting Judge Hannelie Bakker sentenced Baartman, emotional family members said their farewells to him before he was returned to the cells. Desiree's brother, Donovan Arries, expressed appreciation to the media for their consistent coverage of his sister's disappearance and story. He emphasised that their family's focus now is to move forward together.
Desiree's close friend, Nazeema Dinie, said that it's in the children's best interest for their father to remain a part of their lives rather than receiving a life sentence. "It's sad enough. If he had to go to jail for life, that would have broken the kids," she said.
Dinie expressed her hope that Baartman takes time to reflect deeply on the situation. She ended her thoughts by recalling Desiree's often-said words, "it's all God," when contemplating life's events.
