The 'Singular Case' of Mietje Bontnaal, the Bushmanland Murderess*

Rob Turrell

Journal of Southern African Studies, 2003, vol. 29, issue 1, 83-103

Abstract: This article explores an unusual child murder committed by a woman in Bushmanland in 1910. Mietje Bontnaal, a nineteen-year-old domestic servant, murdered Flora Ortman, the seven-year-old daughter of a shepherd. It was a domestic murder that exposed tensions amongst servants in a patriarchal farm household. The article examines the trial record and the subsequent mercy procedure. While the Judge found her guilty, he recommended her to mercy. The Minister of Justice disagreed and recommended that she hang. The Governor-General agreed with the Judge and he commuted her sentence to life imprisonment. It was extremely unusual for a woman to be executed in the Cape at this time. The murder itself raises questions of sex, violence and moral order. While the motive for the crime was irrelevant to the court's finding of guilt, it was an important factor in granting her mercy. In conclusion the article speculates about her motive, central to which was the fact that she was a slave.

Date: 2003
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DOI: 10.1080/0305707032000060511

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