High Court
The State has demanded life imprisonment for Johan Miana, who murdered his girlfriend Maria Karen Ambraal while on parole for killing his wife in 2014. The case underscores South Africa’s growing femicide crisis, with over 1,200 women killed last year, sparking calls for tougher sentences and stronger protection.
The State has called for life imprisonment for a repeat offender, Johan Miana, who brutally murdered his girlfriend, 23-year-old Maria Karen Ambraal, less than seven months after being released on parole for killing his wife in 2014.
Senior State Advocate John Reyneveld told the High Court in George that Miana’s conviction falls squarely within the parameters of Section 51(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997, read with the Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998, which prescribes a minimum sentence of life imprisonment for such crimes.
Reyneveld argued that there were no compelling or substantial circumstances justifying any deviation from the mandatory life sentence. He reminded the court that the accused, already convicted of a previous murder, committed this second killing while on parole — a clear indication of his dangerousness and disregard for the law.
According to court documents, Miana met Ambraal in July 2024 shortly after his release from prison. Their relationship quickly became serious, and she moved in with him at Eagle Falls Farm, near Uniondale.
On 8 November 2024, after a night of heavy drinking and socialising with friends, an argument broke out between the couple as they walked home. Miana told the court in his plea statement that he “lost control,” punching Ambraal repeatedly before stabbing her multiple times with a knife and later crushing her skull with a stone.
“I knew what I was doing was wrong,” Miana admitted in court. “Even though I was under the influence of alcohol and dagga, I knew exactly what I was doing. I regret my actions and ask the court to have mercy.”
But Advocate Reyneveld dismissed Miana’s plea for leniency, noting that his conduct demonstrated “a pattern of violent and misogynistic behaviour.”
“In 2014, he killed his wife by stabbing her. Barely seven months after being released on parole, he killed another woman in a similarly brutal fashion. This is not a man who deserves another chance,” Reyneveld told the court.
He said the State viewed the killing as “an aggravated act of femicide” — the intentional killing of a woman because of her gender — and that it was critical for the justice system to send a strong message that society will not tolerate such violence.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed Miana’s conviction and echoed the call for a life sentence.
NPA Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case demonstrates how gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) continue to plague South African society despite years of government efforts to curb it.
“The NPA welcomes this conviction and hopes the court will send an unambiguous message in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide,” said Ntabazalila. “The accused has shown that he is a repeat offender who continues to target women close to him. This case should remind the public of the urgent need to strengthen parole monitoring and protect women from known abusers.”
South Africa continues to battle one of the highest femicide rates in the world. According to the latest South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics, released in August 2025, 1,251 women were murdered between April 2024 and March 2025 — an average of three women killed every day.
In the same reporting period, 10,516 cases of rape and 15,748 cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against women were recorded. Experts warn that many more cases go unreported due to fear, stigma, and lack of trust in law enforcement.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women’s 2024 Global Femicide Report ranked South Africa among the top five countries globally for the intentional killing of women by intimate partners or family members.
Women’s rights organisations have condemned the government’s slow pace in implementing the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF), adopted in 2020, arguing that funding gaps and lack of accountability continue to hamper progress.
Activists say cases like Miana’s highlight systemic weaknesses in parole management and offender rehabilitation.
“Allowing a convicted wife-killer back into society after only ten years, without sufficient rehabilitation or monitoring, is a failure of the system,” said an activist.
“We are not just talking about individual cases — this is a pattern that shows women’s lives are not being adequately protected.”
The activist added that South Africa’s femicide crisis requires “urgent structural reform,” including stricter bail conditions, improved victim support services, and better enforcement of protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act.
As sentencing proceedings continue, Maria Ambraal’s family has called for the maximum penalty. Her mother, visibly emotional outside court, said the family is still struggling to come to terms with the brutality of her daughter’s death.
“She was only 23, full of life and dreams,” she said. “He took that away from her — just like he did to his first wife. He should never be allowed to hurt anyone again.”
The court is expected to hand down sentencing later this month.
