Cape Town - The nephew of slain Vredendal magistrate Romay van Rooyen, 50, is believed to have choked his aunt to death as a post-mortem revealed she had suffered from a “loss of oxygen”.
This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele outside the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday where 18-year-old murder-accused Cassidy Hartzenberg made his first appearance.
Hartzenberg was traced and arrested on Tuesday following a multi-disciplinary investigation conducted by the Hawks’ Serious Crimes Unit.
Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale confirmed Hartzenberg faces charges of murder and theft of a motor vehicle.
Mogale previously said Hartzenberg was arrested at his home in Mitchells Plain in a multi-disciplinary operation comprising the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State, National Priority Violent Crime Investigation, Digital Forensic Investigation and Priority Crime Management Centre units.
Van Rooyen's stolen vehicle was also recovered in Mitchells Plain.
Hartzenberg, who has applied for bail, had attended the funeral of Van Rooyen and was one of the pallbearers.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said: “In its charge sheet the State alleges that Hartzenberg strangled Van Rooyen and then stole her vehicle and cash, the amount is unknown to the State at this stage.
“The State is satisfied that the accused is linked to the murder.
The State is in consultation with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) to consider bail proceedings.
At this stage, the suspect’s bail profile is unknown, and it would be in the interest of justice to obtain all relevant information before a decision on bail is made.
“We are hopeful that this matter can be processed speedily through the courts and that the outstanding investigation will be finalised quickly.”
He added that this crime brought into focus “elevated levels of gender-based violence and femicide in our country”.
“We would like to applaud the swift action taken by the DPCI in arresting a suspect in this high-profile case which had members of the Justice Cluster concerned for their safety.
As the NPA, we will vigorously prosecute the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide as it encroaches on the right to dignity,” said Ntabazalila.
Cele, who attended the court appearance, said they were confident they had found the right suspect and that the case against Hartzenberg “is tight”.
“While it's good that somebody has been arrested, it's a pity that it is a relative of the deceased. We believe that we have found the correct person as it was said in court that we have a prima facie case against the accused.
Investigations are continuing,” said Cele.
The matter was postponed to October 6 for further bail information.
The 50-year-old Vredenburg magistrate was found dead in her Marina Da Gama home on Saturday, September 11, and her vehicle was missing.
Cape Times