150127. Cape Town. Police forensic investigators are seen on a murder scene at De Zalze Gholf Estate in Stellenbosch. Three members of a family were alledgedly hacked to death by another family member. Picture Henk Kruger/Cape Argus 150127. Cape Town. Police forensic investigators are seen on a murder scene at De Zalze Gholf Estate in Stellenbosch. Three members of a family were alledgedly hacked to death by another family member. Picture Henk Kruger/Cape Argus
Cape Town - Raised voices were the only hint something was amiss in a house in the heart of the upmarket De Zalze estate in Stellenbosch on the night of January 26 last year.
Nothing suggested one of the most shocking crimes to shock the country was about to happen inside.
Read: Best friend says Henri van Breda’s a genius
The next morning, authorities made the horrific discovery that three members of the Van Breda family, businessman Martin, 54, his wife Teresa, 56, and their eldest son Rudi, 22, had been hacked to death with an axe. The couple’s youngest child, Marli, then 16, was critically wounded.
This week, following more than a year of intense speculation, the only other member of the family, 21-year-old Henri who sustained only minor injuries, was arrested and charged.
It emerged this week the entire crime scene was restricted to the inside of the house. Security guards found no breaches, no one had forced a way into the house and nothing was stolen.
Even the alleged murder weapons, an axe and a kitchen knife, came from inside the house.
While Henri’s arrest upset his sister, residents of the De Zalze estate breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Louise Buikman, Marli’s legal representative, told Weekend Argus: “The news is understandably very distressing to Marli. Marli does not wish to comment further. The family want justice to take its course.”
De Zalze’s estate manager Boet Grobler said he and others there would be following the legal proceedings surrounding Van Breda closely.
“De Zalze is obviously grateful that the matter is receiving attention and that an arrest was made,” he said.
“The homeowners’ association made it clear from the start that it was an isolated incident and that there was no perimeter breach at the time.”
Van Breda appeared in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and was released on R100 000 bail.
The case was transferred to the Western Cape High Court, where he is expected to appear in September.
The State’s summary of facts put before the court this week described the De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate as “an exclusive housing estate which is guarded by high-security systems and monitored around the clock”.
“The Van Breda home is located approximately at the centre of the housing estate.”
The documents said on the evening of January 26 last year the family were home and “raised voices” were heard.
At 4.24am the next morning Henri called his girlfriend from his cellphone, but she did not answer.
According to the summary, three minutes later he googled emergency numbers. Only three hours later, at 7.12am, did he call emergency services.
Police were alerted to the incident three minutes after this call.
Henri’s parents and brother were declared dead at the scene, while Marli was rushed to hospital.
“An axe and kitchen knife were recovered from the scene. The axe is most likely to have been used in the attacks,” the documents said.
“The axe and the kitchen knife come from the Van Breda home. The knife was part of a set of kitchen knives.”
Van Breda was discovered at the scene wearing sleep shorts and white socks. DNA tests on blood found on him and his clothing matched that of his murdered parents and brother.
The documents also said Henri had superficial wounds, including knife wounds, which appeared self-inflicted.
“There were no signs of forcible entry to the Van Breda home. No items were removed from the home.
“No intruder to the estate was detected by the security company during the period in question.”
The summary said it was alleged that, after murdering his parents and brother and nearly killing his sister, Henri “tampered with the crime scene… and supplied false information to the police”.
This week Lorinda van Niekerk, a member of Henri’s legal team, said the defence would not yet be sharing any information about its views on the case.
Timeline – January 27, 2015
* 4.24am – Henri van Breda calls his girlfriend from his cellphone. She doesn’t answer.
* 4.27am – He googles emergency services contact numbers.
* 7.12am – Henri makes several calls to emergency services.
* 7.15am – Police are alerted to an incident at the home.
* 7.38am – Henri again calls his girlfriend. The State’s summary of facts does not say whether she answered.
The van Breda siblings:
Rudi:
The impact Rudi van Breda had on his classmates is still being felt.
In April this year, members of the University of Melbourne’s Trinity College a cappella group, the Trinity Tiger Tones, participated in a rowathon in his memory.
Rudi had attended Trinity College and was a keen rower and rugby player there when his family left Australia and moved to the upmarket De Zalze estate in Stellenbosch.
About a year later, he was dead.
On January 28 this year, Trinity College held a memorial service for Rudi.
“This brief service will include a time of remembering Rudi symbolically as well as a chance to offer words or thoughts,” it said in a Facebook post about the service.
In April last year, less than two months after the fatal attack, Trinity College hosted the first rowathon in Rudi’s honour.
The event was named “I Row for Rudi”.
“Please join the Facebook event and show your support to remember Rudi’s amazing contribution to our community,” a post said.
Rudi’s Facebook profile is still up and features several condolence messages and photographs of Rudi enjoying himself with friends.
Marli:
Support for axe attack survivor Marli van Breda increased this week as news emerged that her brother had been arrested for the horrific crime.
Marli, who was 16 at the time, sustained a fractured skull and extensive brain trauma during the attack. She was guarded by police after being hospitalised.
The teen, who at one point was in a medically induced coma and underwent neurosurgery, miraculously recovered.
A Facebook page, Support Marli van Breda, was created shortly after the murders and activity peaked this week.
“Much, much strength is wished for Marli,” one of her supporters wrote.
Another said: “Marli remember that the Lord brought you here. He won’t leave you now… Blessings to you all!”
Marli, who was in a rehabilitation centre after leaving hospital, was discharged from the centre in April last year.
At the time she was said to be suffering from retrograde amnesia and could not remember the attack.
Marli and Henri reunited five months after the attack.
Henri:
The 21-year-old accused of murdering his parents and brother has to follow a strict set of rules in the run-up to his trial.
Judging by the photographs and messages posted on his siblings’ Facebook pages, Henri’s family had travelled widely. But now Henri will have to stay put; his passport is with the police and he was ordered to hand over any other travel documents.
These are some of the conditions he has to abide by after his release on R100 000 bail by the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.Other conditions include that he must report to the Parow police station between 8am and 8pm every Monday and Friday.
He may not leave the Western Cape.
“The accused may not come within 500m of any international port of entry,” another condition states.
Henri may also not communicate with any State witnesses.
He has never publicly commented on the triple murder and the attempted killing of his sister Marli.
This week a Facebook page titled Henri van Breda – Axe Murders was created.
But only a handful of people liked the page, which posted news articles about his arrest and subsequent court appearance.
A few months ago a weekly national magazine reported Henri had enrolled in a course to become a chef.
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
Weekend Argus