Magistrate Gaynor Poulton has sentenced Jandre Dippenaar to 15 years in prison for killing six people in a car accident near Henties Bay in 2014.
 
It was an intense and emotional ending for the families of the victims of the crash and Jandre Dippenaar.

Both parties have waited for 10 years for the court to make a decision.

This is the first time a person has been convicted of murder for causing a car accident in Namibia.

Magistrate Poulton made an example of Dippenaar and gave him a 15-year prison term, to deter future offenders.

Poulton noted that the killing of people on the road is increasing to a scary level, and there is a daily outcry for the courts to do something.

She said Dippenaar had total disregard for the road rules and other drivers when he drove like he was on a race track in December 2014.

The magistrate believes his actions led to devastating consequences that shattered the dreams, desires, and lives of productive people.

Poulton added that Dippenaar got a warning for reckless driving, a few hours before the accident, but he continued to drive recklessly on a rough and uneven road.

The magistrate also said family members of the victims have suffered because of Dippenaar.

In his testimony this week, Jan-Karl Horn, who lost his son JC Horn in the accident, said children should bury their parents and never vice versa.

He said he struggled for 10 years to come to terms with the loss, and he cannot forgive Dippenaar.

German national Antonia Joschko was 16 years old and on holiday in Namibia when the accident killed her parents and siblings.

She testified that her life has been in turmoil ever since, as she sustained serious injuries, struggled with suicidal thoughts, and suffered from flashbacks.

Joschko added that Dippenaar never apologized, even after she stopped being a state witness seven years ago.

The magistrate said Dippenaar only apologized in court 10 years after the accident, and she is not convinced that the apology is genuine or remorseful.

For the reckless driving charge, the magistrate sentenced Dippenaar to eight thousand dollars or two years' imprisonment, while he was given a N$2,000 fine or three years in prison.

"We can now go and recover; try to heal, as I said in my testimony; every time that we come to court, all the sores must again be ripped open; we couldn't live these whole nine years. The sentence is fair; society must know that people driving on the roads must know that if you behave like that, you will be punished; that's right for Namibia," says Jan-Karl Horn.

German national Antonia Joschko says, "Moving on is really difficult, and it will never really come, but at least some part of the grief has ended, and I don't need to go through this court case anymore, even though the civil case is still coming out. I think it was a fair judgment; yes, I think it's appropriate to give a high prison sentence."

Dippenaars' defence lawyers, Albert Strydom and Petrie Theron, revealed that they will appeal the sentence.