Gqeberha guesthouse owner gets 10 years in prison after visitors die from carbon monoxide poisoning

By Charmaine Ndlela

The Gqeberha Regional Court has sentenced Kevin Pretorius to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment following the deaths of Mari Hoon (28) and her fiancé, Jean Vosloo (25), who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while staying at Pretorius’s Kliphuis guesthouse in April 2020.

Evidence presented in court by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) showed that the couple died after inhaling toxic carbon monoxide fumes that accumulated in the bathroom due to a defective gas geyser installation.

Investigations revealed that the geyser lacked a flue pipe to channel hazardous gases outside the building.

Representing the State, prosecutor Johan Jansen presented evidence that Pretorius personally installed the gas geyser in the unit in which the couple was staying, despite having no formal training or qualifications to carry out gas installations.

Pretorius was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count of murder, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently, resulting