Susana ‘Sarie’ de Villiers, a 71-year-old Wellington resident, admitted in the Worcester Regional Court on 28 March 2025 to the murder of her three great-grandchildren at Bainskloof Pass. The children—Caleb Booysen (8), Gradwell Booysen (5), and Joshua Booysen (2)—died on 20 November 2021 after the vehicle De Villiers was driving plunged approximately 80 metres down the mountainside.
Legal Proceedings And Psychiatric Evaluation
Following the incident, De Villiers was hospitalised and subjected to a rigorous psychiatric evaluation to determine her fitness to stand trial. A panel of experts ultimately concluded that the accused was mentally fit, characterising her actions as purposeful despite their impulsive nature.
During the court proceedings, De Villiers claimed she drove off the pass in an attempt to save the children from what she described as continued misery and neglect stemming from their parents’ substance abuse issues. The state formally rejected this defence of diminished responsibility, maintaining that her actions constituted premeditated murder.
Context Of Family Tragedy
The tragedy left the community reeling, with family members describing the scene as deeply traumatic. Speaking to the media, the children’s grandfather, Carl Smit, remarked on the harrowing sight of the victims: “It was terrible. They looked as if they were sleeping.”
At the time of their deaths, the children had been in foster care, a detail that featured prominently in the defence’s narrative regarding the family’s broader socioeconomic instability. The case is scheduled to proceed to trial on 14 May 2025 to allow the legal team to call witnesses and further address the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.