Van Breda Trial: Henri's uncle takes stand
Triple-murder accused breaks from tradition of detachment
TRIPLE murder accused Henri van Breda broke character from his typically detached demeanour at the start of day nine of the De Zalze axe murder trial when he gave his uncle, Cornelius Andries van Breda, a hug before court proceedings got under way .
The uncle, often referred to as André, testified on the character of his deceased brother Martin van Breda, and the relationship the family shared. Andre and his twin Bailey are Martin’s older brothers.
André explained that they had always been close and never had any serious falling outs. He also stated that following the murders, he and a few other family members had visited the house on two separate occasions. On one occasion, Henri went along, but decided to stay in the car with Bailey.
Andre said Henri had requested the exotic whiskey from the house. Defence attorney Pieter Botha then stressed that the whiskey was a gift Henri gave his father which he bought in Australia.
Precious Munyongani, the Van Breda’s domestic worker, also gave evidence in the Western Cape High Court about her working hours and how she gained access to the house. She told the court she worked on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and was on duty on the day of the murders.
She had an access card to enter the estate and a taxi would drive her to the Van Breda house. Munyongani then used a key hidden close to one of the Van Breda home’s gates to gain access to the house.
Once inside the perimeter, she entered the house via the back door, which the family sometimes left unlocked for her, otherwise she would have to call someone to open for her.
Of the murder weapon, Munyongani said it appeared similar to the axe she had seen on the shelf of the scullery, behind the ironing board.
On the day of the murders, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the behaviour of the family, Munyongani said.
She said she didn’t notice “anything aggressive” in the relationship between Henri and his brother Rudi.
Bianca van der Westhuizen, a family friend, testified specifically the time she spent with Henri on the day of the murders.
Van der Westhuizen saw Henri the day before the murders when he took her for ice-cream before he dropped her off at home. She said that they were just friends.
She was also questioned as to why she did not answer the calls from Henri at 4am and 7.20am. When questioned about why Henri called her, Van der Westhuizen stated that she thought it was because he did not have anyone else to call.
Henri is accused of murdering his brother Rudi, father Martin and mother Teresa late in January, 2015. He is also facing a charge of attempted murder on the life of his sister, Marli.
The trial will continue today.