Durban - Double murder accused Shalin Ganesh has been jailed for an effective 25 years for the murder of an elderly Umkomaas couple.
The 37-year-old was convicted and sentenced of the brutal murder of Sathie Pillay, 78 and his wife Southree Pillay, 74 in the Pietermaritzburg High Court this week.
He received 15 years for each count of murder and 5 years for theft of motor vehicle. All sentences will run concurrently and the effective sentence will be 25 years.
The couple were found dead in their Willowglen home on August 1.
Shalin Ganesh has been sentenced to 25 years.
Sathie was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a hammer and Southree was allegedly assaulted and then strangled during the attack.
At the time of the incident police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said officers had responded to reports of a house robbery in Willowglen.
"When they arrived at the home they found blood on the doorstep. The (trail of) blood led to another room which was locked. The officers managed to break open the door and found a 78-year-old man lying on the floor in a pool of blood."
Zwane said the home was in a mess.
"The victim's wife and his car were missing. Officers managed to track down the vehicle and apprehended a suspect. The wife, who was initially thought to have been kidnapped was found murdered in another bedroom."
Family spokesperson Jayce Govender said they were disappointed with the sentence. Govender said the brutality in which the couple were murdered deserved a double life sentence.
"They were elderly couple who didn't deserve to die in this manner. They made a significant contribution to society."