Three Horrible gang members get life for seven Elsies River murders

Three members of the Horrible gang have been sentenced to effective life imprisonment in the Western Cape High Court for a string of murders in Elsies River and Clarke Estate. A fourth accused, who was a minor when the offences were committed and cannot be named, was sentenced to 36 years’ imprisonment.

As IOL reported on 8 October 2026, Alfonso Hendricks, also known as Skelm, Aubrey Rooi, also known as Boosegees, and Jade Taylor, also known as Boeta, were convicted on charges including contraventions of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act for aiding and abetting gang activities, multiple counts of murder, and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The group was first arrested for a triple murder in February 2020, in which Kelly de Vos, Jocelyn Samuels and Jocelyn’s boyfriend, Lincoln van Heerden, 28, were shot dead in Clarke Estate. At the time it was alleged that van Heerden was on a hit list, not because he was a gangster but because he had stood up to gangsters involved in a turf war over drug territory.

Hendricks was convicted on 21 counts. These included the murders of Mario Martin Borches, Marcelino Smith, Zandre Leguma, Kelly de Vos, Jocelyn Samuels, Lincoln van Heerden and Charlston Matthys. Rooi was convicted on 12 counts, including the murders of Borches, de Vos, Samuels and van Heerden. Taylor was convicted on four counts, including the murder of Matthys. The fourth accused was convicted on eight counts, including the murders of de Vos, Samuels and van Heerden.

State prosecutor Advocate Leon Snyman told the court the accused had shown no remorse. He highlighted that some of the victims were witnesses or potential witnesses, and argued that substantial and compelling circumstances existed for severe sentences. The court heard that Hendricks had a previous conviction for murder, while Rooi had previous convictions for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Snyman submitted that the murders were exceptionally serious, that human lives had been deliberately and unlawfully taken through firearms-related violence associated with gang criminality, and that the court was dealing not with isolated incidents but with a series of serious offences committed over a relatively concentrated period. He urged the court to weigh the impact of organised gang violence on communities, the climate of fear and intimidation it creates, and the ongoing threat it poses.

In sentencing the fourth accused, Snyman submitted that the minor should be sentenced in accordance with the Child Justice Act 75 of 2008 and the ordinary sentencing principles applicable to a child in conflict with the law, while stressing the gravity and multiplicity of the offences and arguing for a substantial custodial sentence.

The court also considered 12 victim impact statements compiled with the assistance of the Court Preparation Office. In those statements, family members said they had lost faith in the criminal justice system and had never believed they would see justice served. They said it had become commonplace in their community for murders to occur without arrests or successful prosecutions.

Hendricks was sentenced to seven life terms and an additional 111 years’ direct imprisonment. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, producing an effective sentence of life imprisonment. Rooi received four life terms and an additional 66 years, also ordered to run concurrently, for an effective sentence of life imprisonment. Taylor received life imprisonment plus an additional 21 years, ordered to run concurrently. The fourth accused was sentenced to 36 years’ imprisonment.

Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Adrian Mopp applauded the prosecution and investigation team, comprising Advocate Snyman and Sergeant Theo van Wyk of Elsies River SAPS, for their work in securing the convictions and sentences. Mopp said the outcome had ensured justice for the victims, their families and the broader Clarke Estate community, and expressed the hope that the families would find closure and that the result had restored faith in the justice system.

The case is one of a relatively small number of gang-related prosecutions in the Western Cape to reach final sentencing. The Prevention of Organised Crime Act allows the state to charge gang membership and gang activity directly, rather than relying only on individual counts of murder or firearm possession. In practice, prosecutions of this kind depend on witness cooperation in communities where intimidation is common, and on investigation teams building a pattern of offences rather than a single incident.

The families of the victims filled the court for the sentencing. Outside, they celebrated with the prosecution and investigation team after the sentences were handed down.

Source: IOL, Horrible gang members sentenced to life for Elsies River murders