The murderer of Deveney Nel has been sentenced to 25 years after agreeing to a plea deal.
(Photo: Facebook) 
It was a bitter-sweet day at the Western Cape High Court on Friday, 17 October 2025. After months of trauma, augmented by delays and protection orders against journalists and community activists, the Deveney Nel murder trial is over, the very day it began.
The 18-year-old accused, who was a minor at the time he brutally murdered the 16-year-old learner, entered a plea deal, meaning he will not have to stand trial. The court sentenced him to 25 years.
The last confirmed case of a minor being sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa was in June 2000, when a 17-year-old was sentenced to life for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Brenda Fairhead and her daughter, Kia.
Trial over? Not quite, according to child rights activists. They insist that the Child Justice Act must be amended to adequately protect young victims and hold youths who have committed violent crimes, such as rape and murder, to greater accountability.
In 2022, an amendment to the Child Justice Act increased the minimum age of criminal capacity from 10 to 12 years old.
But this has allowed too many young perpetrators of serious crimes to slip through the judicial net and has robbed child victims and their families of adequate justice.
Read more: Community grieves Deveney Nel in tragic case that highlights growing violence among SA’s youth
“This convicted murderer, whose name we still cannot say, because he is still protected under the Act, could be eligible for parole after 10 years,” says Lucinda Evans, the South African founder of the global NGO One Billion Rising (OBR), which fights against gender-based violence
In her personal capacity, Evans, alongside OBR, community activists Tanya Bippert and Amanda Fourie, as well as freelance journalist Julian Jansen, must still fight a protection order brought against them by the mother of the convicted murderer. Their case will be heard in the Grabouw Magistrate’s Court on 6 November.
Evans insists that no matter the outcome of the protection order, “parole will never be granted to this criminal under our watch, and we will ensure that amendments are made to the Child Justice Act to hold parents of young murderers and rapists accountable, if they fall foul of the law in trying to protect their children from the consequences of their crimes”.
Accused in rape case
Nel’s murderer is also accused of rape in another case. The scales of justice are now tipping in favour of the 16-year-old survivor of the alleged rape, which is alleged to have occurred five years ago when she was 11.
At the time, the accused was only 13. Although he was initially apprehended, his case was never referred to the Children’s Court for intervention, diversion therapy and rehabilitation, as required by the Child Justice Act, thereby letting him off the hook.
Luke Lamprecht, head of advocacy for Women & Men Against Child Abuse, believes that if the criminal justice system dropped the ball in the alleged rape case, the survivor could now have recourse to suing the State for damages.
“Appallingly, the rape survivor, the alleged young perpetrator, and Deveney Nel, have all been betrayed by the system,” he says.
Paying homage
Standing on the steps of the Cape Town High Court on Friday, Evans paid homage to the relentless activism of OBR member Bippert, who is a Caledon resident. She also praised the scrupulous investigation into Nel’s murder conducted by Detective Johan “Baksteen” Louw, as well as the courage of Deveney’s Overberg High School principal, Johan Jacobs, her teachers, friends and the Overberg community.
She thanked the media for diligently covering every step of the case in the public interest.
Her most emotional tribute was paid to Deveney’s mother, Lida Nel, and her family.
“Nothing will ever bring back your beautiful daughter, granddaughter and sister; but hopefully, while we continue to strive for changes to the Child Justice Act, your journey towards healing can now begin,” she said.
There remain so many unanswered questions about this murder. We know the “how” – a knife used to stab Deveney five times in her neck – but not the “why”. Perhaps we never will. DM