Port Elizabeth High Court judge Dyalan Chetty sentenced Christopher Panayiotou and co-accused Sinethembe Nemembe to life imprisonment for the 2015 murder of his wife, Jayde.
There were cheers in court when he delivered his judgment on sentence in the High Court on Thursday.
Judge Chetty sentenced Nemembe to an additional 15 years on a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances, while Zolani Sibeko was also given a 15-year sentence following his conviction on the same charge.
In his ruling judge Chetty said while the focus was on the accused, "a no less important consideration is the impact that the crime has engendered in the victims family and the community at large".
He said it was evident from the evidence of Jayde's sister, Toni Inggs, that not only the murder itself, but its aftermath, including the trial, has had a debilitating effect on their family.
Chetty said in the assessment of sentence, due weight must be "accorded to their legitimate interest and so too the public at large".
He said the packed gallery throughout most of the trial attested to the empathy with Jayde's family and it is proper that the community interest must be accorded proper consideration.
"The execution was months in the making. It involved a string of would-be assassins and when the willing killer was eventually found, time, money and energy was expended to ensure its success. In all that time, Jayde was blissfully unaware that the man she shared a bed with had set in motion a process which would ultimately lead to her death".
"When the video (incriminating Christopher Panayiotou) was played in this very courtroom and his involvement in the murder exposed, he remained nonchalant. Maybe, to him, it was just business giving his acumen for it. This crime must fill all persons with abhorrence," judge Chetty said.
