This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers A Kareedouw guest house owner who was repeatedly made aware of a possible gas leak at his establishment "gambled" with the lives of his guests by not rectifying the issue This is according to Magistrate Vusiwe Mnyani of double murder in the Gqeberha Regional Court on Friday The court ruled that Pretorius was responsible for the deaths of engaged couple Mari Hoon Toxicology reports confirmed that the couple died from carbon monoxide poisoning allegedly due to a gas leak from a geyser on the property According to evidence presented in court during the trial the bathroom geyser did not have a flue pipe to draw out the poisonous gases The couple's bodies were discovered in a bathroom on the premises Mnyani said Pretorius did not take the court into his confidence and appeared to not want to take responsibility for what had happened She said during cross-examination it emerged that he was the sole beneficiary of the guesthouse Mnyani pointed out that evidence established that he had been made aware of the gas exposure on at least three prior occasions but he never saw it necessary to get an expert to rectify the installation defects he regarded himself as an expert in gas because he had been dealing with gas since he was a kid "His attempt to shift the blame to the manufacturer of the geyser cannot stand "He did not act when he was warned of the gas smells and his conduct put the lives of his guests in danger "The evidence showed that he could have foreseen that the risk of death was possible but he was willing to gamble with the lives of his guests," said Mnyani The court ruled that Pretorius had the necessary criminal intent and that he was an unreliable witness whose version of events was "highly improbable" State Prosecutor Johan Jansen proved his case beyond any reasonable doubt Also read: Judgment postponed in Kareedouw guesthouse double murder trial  evidence was gathered from other guests (witnesses) who previously stayed at the establishment and reported smelling gas These witnesses described how during their stay they started feeling ill Some of them felt so dizzy that they could not walk while one person lost consciousness and had to be rushed to a hospital Mnyani said all of this was brought to the attention of Pretorius The testimony of an inspector showed that there were no building plans for the establishment and Pretorius could not produce the necessary gas compliance certificates It further showed the relevant safety precautions concerning the geyser and the whole design of the flue sensor was not correct The court further heard evidence that the geyser's flue pipe had been removed when renovations were done to the premises Hoon's family expressed their relief at the judgment stating that they were relieved that justice had been served Their sentiments were echoed by Vosloo's mother Maria Hoon said it has been four long years but she was grateful to God that the matter is nearly completely finalised Michelle Green and Sune Hoon said even though the judgment brought some solace "I am happy that justice was meted down for my sister and Jean," said Sune "The justice system did not fail us," said Green Peter Daubermann asked that a probation officer's report be compiled for sentencing procedures and that his client's bail be extended an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche Dive into the expansive world of motoring with Naresh Maharaj Join Mark Marshall as he shares his extraordinary encounters with everything from bees to reptiles i Closing arguments in the trial of a Kareedouw guesthouse owner charged with the double murder of a young couple was postponed to the 1st of October in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday This is after the defence indicated that they are not ready to proceed was arrested after 25-year-old Jean Vosloo and his 28-year-old fiance Mari Hoon died at the Kliphuis Guesthouse from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2020 Pretorius was arrested when the couples toxicology reports revealed their cause of death after blaming a troop of baboons for breaking flue pipe Algoa FM previously reported that the couple's bodies were found in the bathroom of Kliphuis Guesthouse on Zuuranys farm about 17 kilometres outside Kareedouw Pretorius is currently out on bail of R 1 000 Read more: Kareedouw guesthouse owner back in court on double murder charge Family members of the couple who died during the Kliphuis Guesthouse tragedy have expressed their disappointment that judgment in the matter was postponed The case against Kareedouw businessman Kevin Pretorius was postponed in the city's Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday because Magistrate Vuziwe Mnyani was not ready to deliver judgment Pretorius faces a double murder charge after 25-year-old Jean Vosloo and his 28-year-old fiance Mari Hoon died at his guesthouse in 2020 Toxicology reports confirmed that the engaged couple died from carbon monoxide poisoning the geyser did not have a flue pipe to draw out the poisonous gasses The court previously heard that the couple was found in the bathroom and that they had allegedly complained about smelling gas said having to wait another two months to get the judgment was frustrating but they had come this far and were positive that God's Will would be done She added that she was happy with how the trial had been conducted Sune said the family has their hopes set on a guilty finding of double murder After battling to find a remand date that suited the State and the defence the case was remanded to 24 January next year There is no certainty however that judgment will be delivered on the day charged with the double murder of a young couple who died at his establishment was arrested after the couple died at the Kliphuis Guesthouse from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2020 The bodies of 25-year-old Jéan Vosloo and his 28-year-old fiancé Mari Hoon were found in the bathroom of his Kliphuis Guesthouse on Zuuranys farm about 17 kilometres outside Kareedouw but Pretorius was arrested when the couple's toxicology report revealed the cause of death De Wet is an expert on destructive species and the behaviour of baboons It is the version of the accused that the flue pipe was broken by a troop of baboons in the area the likelihood exists that the damage could have been caused by Baboons He said baboons often cause chaos in their search for food This includes opening windows and doors to enter premises and causing destruction while rummaging for food During cross-examination of the state prosecutor de Wet conceded that he did not have a formal qualification on the subject matter He also conceded that he had never visited the Kliphuis Guesthouse in person and that he does not bear any knowledge of case studies where Baboons had removed flue pipes The case was postponed to the 24th of November The accused's bail of R1 000 has been extended More welcome rain fell over large parts of the Eastern Cape in the past 24 hours Weather office spokesperson Garth Sampson says there were good falls in Nelson Mandela Bay's main catchment area in the Langkloof Kareedouw has received 69 mm of rain with all that runoff flowing directly into the Churchill Dam which falls just outside the catchment area has received 73 mm of rain in the past 48 hours Kariega/Uitenhage received 27 mm of rain yesterday while between 4 mm and 8 mm was measured in the Bay itself Home | Lifestyle The small town of Kareedouw in the Koukamma Municipality now boasts a state-of-the-art library having the latest technology This achievement comes amid a wave of library infrastructure collapses around the country The Eastern Cape saw 15 libraries shut down in 2019 The Mcebisi Michael Msizi Public Library opened its doors to the public and it’s hoped it will empower the community it serves Libraries offer far more than just the physical structures and books lining shelves It’s an educational haven and a sanctuary for children and adults alike the library offers opportunities for lifelong learning for people from all walks of life The municipality says the new library will expose community members to great opportunities The library was built to accommodate and incorporate visual having first touched a computer two years ago “It is the first time I touched a computer and it changed my life.” the library computers are the only means of connecting with the rest of the world and reading spaces in an open-air courtyard It also has a dedicated area for online research Home | Sci-tech Large parts of the Langkloof Valley in the Eastern Cape were turned into a white winter wonderland with heavy snow falling from Kareedouw to Uniondale this past week Many of the farmers’ nets which protect the fruit in this valley proved to be no match for the heavy snow Farmer Robin Baldie says it is the heaviest snowfall he has ever experienced He says he currently doing all he can to save his crop after losing 700 000 in damage caused to eight hectares of his nets “It’s the first time that we have had nets collapse so it’s a learning experience on how to get them up we have got all our machinery here to try and get it lifted so it’s going to take a couple of weeks to get it up and see what the damage is so the work that has gone into these to get them to where they are now is very sad We have got a team of ladies that prune these trees so its heartbreaking for everyone to look at the damage that has been caused by the snow,” says Baldie Farmer Paul Lombard says the drought currently being experienced in the area coupled with water restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic have made farming a tough job “In terms of labour the COVID-19 pandemic is adding more costs to your operation the travel of workers and from a marketing point of view So although we were able to in full operation especially with the harbours closing and also the African market that’s saturated and slow movement and low prices,” says Lombard which is the main water supply for farmers “The rain that recently fell is not enough the effect it had on the farm is really minimal the downside of that is that when we don’t get enough rain so we the trees don’t get sufficient water to grow which means our apples don’t grow to full capacity and we can’t export them which means we lose money,” says Uithaler Farmers are pinning their hopes on the summer rainfall which they hope will bring much-needed relief The video below is on the snow impacting on farming in the Eastern Cape:  The Churchill Dam in Nelson Mandela Bay's catchment area is overflowing following the good rain that fell in the Kareedouw area last week Spokesperson for the SA Weather Service in Port Elizabeth Garth Sampson says some follow-up rain fell overnight on Saturday into Sunday along the coast and the adjacent interior with between 7 and 16 mm in Port Elizabeth He says he visited the Churchill Dam on Sunday Sampson says the dam's official level was at 100.21 percent and this overflowing water will gradually run into the Impofu Dam which is currently at 16 percent of capacity that this overflow was very slight and there was not much water running to the Impofu Sampson says the drought is by no means broken He says no rain is expected in the Bay's catchment area for the next week