Courtney’s mom ‘forgives but will never forget’

‘I didn’t want to believe it was decent Morty’

‘IFORGIVE him, but I will never be able to forget,” said Juanita Pieters, after accused Mortimer Saunders apologised for the rape and murder of her 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Pieters. The Western Cape High Court heard the apology from Saunders via his defence lawyer, Morné Calitz, on the second day of the murder trial yesterday.

Pieters recalled the days after May 4, 2017, when Courtney was reported missing, saying she and members of the Elsies River community had searched neighbouring areas including Goodwood and Ruyterwacht.

Pieters confirmed that the community had searched for Courtney for nine days and that she and Aaron Fourie, her boyfriend, were collected by police after the police had found her body.

Pieters said when she was asked by police if she knew the man who could be seen in footage dumping the little girl’s body in nearby Epping, she lied and said she did not recognise him.

State lawyer Esmarelda Cecil then asked Pieters why she had lied.

“I didn’t want to believe that it was Morty, because as we knew him he was such a decent person,” she said. “Can you elaborate?” Cecil asked. Pieters responded: “Because he was such a quiet man and he loved children. He loved Courtney very much.”

Cecil then asked how Pieters felt about the events of that day.

“I also feel partly to blame in knowing that I left the children alone,” said Pieters.

She further testified that despite their difficult relationship, she had been in Saunders’ room a few times, for instance to load electricity into the meter, when he called her and when she did his washing.

Asked why she would do this for him when they had had problems, she replied: “We did not like each other, but when he requested that I do something for him I did it because he paid me to do it.”

The accused had also agreed that he and Pieters had a very tense relationship. It was then – before Pieters left the stand – that Saunders apologised to her for his actions.

The trial continues.

PICTURE: SIPHEPHILE SIBANYONI/ AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA) DEVASTATED: Courtney Pieters’ parents, Jaunita Pieters and Aaron Faurie, outside the Western Cape High Court after the hearing of murder suspect Mortimer Saunders.