The Ntuzuma Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal has sentenced Peterson Booysen to life imprisonment plus an additional 45 years after being convicted on three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder linked to two violent incidents that occurred in 2021 and 2023.

The court heard that the first incident took place on 7 March 2021 in the Amaoti area, where Booysen assaulted and fatally stabbed his neighbour following an argument over the alleged theft of a cellphone.

He was arrested six months later and initially granted bail after an opposed application by the State, but later failed to appear in court and absconded, resulting in a warrant for his arrest.

The second incident occurred on 17 August 2023 and involved Booysen and two accomplices in a shooting that left two people dead and two others injured.Among the deceased was Chinese national Yulong Chen, who operated gambling machines in the Inanda area.

Evidence presented in court indicated that Chen and his employees were confronted by armed men, leading to a shootout in which Chen and one of Booysen’s accomplices were killed, while two employees survived gunshot wounds.

Prosecutors also relied on an identity parade in which Booysen was positively identified, alongside victim impact statements describing the emotional and psychological trauma suffered by survivors and families of the deceased.The court further declared Booysen unfit to possess a firearm.

The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed the sequence of events, including his initial release on bail and subsequent disappearance before his re-arrest.The sentencing brings closure to a prolonged legal process involving two separate violent cases spanning multiple years in KwaZulu-Natal.