By Logan Govender
The family of a slain mother said this week that while the 20-year sentence imposed on the woman's husband by a judge yesterday had brought some closure, they felt that a lethal injection would have been the appropriate sentence.
Relatives of the victim, Anthea Govindsamy, 35, who asked that their names be with-held, reacted with mixed feelings to the sentence which Judge Esther Steyn and two assessors imposed, without any parole conditions or concurrent terms, on wife killer and former male nurse, Jaiseelan Moonsamy Govindsamy, 41, in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
Anthea, an occupational therapist and mother of two of Pentunia Street, Howick, was viciously stabbed 19 times by Jaiseelan, on March 25, 2007, at a parking lot opposite a park near Howick Falls in front of their sons, Dante, who turned nine this past Sunday, and Darne, seven. Also there at the time were Anthea's relatives and members of the public.
During the interviews yesterday, shortly after sentencing, Anthea's family pointed out that had this gruesome murder occurred in the United States, Jaiseelan would have received a lethal injection, and had it come before a judge in a Middle East country, his life would not have been spared as well.
Anthea's relatives said while they were aware that Judge Steyn had to impose a sentence in accordance with the legislation 'it was not the judge's fault that the government had decided to do away with the death penalty several years ago'.
Asked if they would be satisfied if Anthea's killer rotted in jail, their response was a resounding yes. "In terms of the parole legislation he must serve at least half his sentence (10 years) if parole is considered. In that scenario Jaiseelan could remarry if he so desired. His family would be able to phone him and visit him in prison, while all we have of our dear Anthea are various pictures. Since March 25, 2007, we accepted with a great deal of pain, anguish and trauma, that Anthea won't be home again," said a relative.
The relative added that a few months before her tragic death, Anthea had written a 10 page letter which outlined the physical and mental abuse which Jaiseelan had inflicted on her. This letter was submitted to her attorney without their (family's) knowledge, for the divorce proceedings which she had instituted against her husband. A part of the letter read: "How do I describe all my hurt and pain. It is hard because I want to shut it out, and pretend it never happened in my life."
It emerged during sentence that a custody battle loomed over the couple's two children, between Anthea's family, and that of Jaiseelan, who showed no remorse and did not glance at the gallery, after being sentenced.
Judge Steyn, who described the murder as cold-blooded, said Anthea was once a woman, a wife, a sister, daughter, and also a mother of two young boys. " She had hopes and aspirations. These were abruptly brought to an end when the accused (Jaiseelan) decided to callously stab her 19 times and killed her."