Man convicted of Stellenbosch University student Jesse Mitchell's murder handed life sentence

A man convicted of the murder of Stellenbosch University student, Jesse Mitchell, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Twenty-year-old Rudolph Hufke was found guilty after he entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State.

He confessed to Mitchell's murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances on 16 October last year, and the robbery with aggravating circumstances of another victim, Sikho Matimba, also in Stellenbosch, the previous day.

Nineteen-year-old Stellenbosch University student, Jesse Mitchell, was robbed and stabbed in the neck while riding his bicycle in Borcherd Street, Stellenbosch, on his birthday in October last year.

The court heard the offences were committed with malice and forethought, and the accused preyed on victims he regarded as weak, vulnerable, and blindsided.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s Eric Ntabazalila: "Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, welcomed the sentence and applauded the prosecution and investigation team for the sterling work they did which forced the accused to plead guilty due to the inescapable and mounting evidence against him."

In a victim impact statement, the deceased's grandmother, Christina Mitchell, wrote that the day the tragedy struck continues to haunt her.