Raised voices the only hint of Van Breda horror

RAISED voices were the only hint that 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.

But nothing suggested one of the most shocking crimes to grip the country was about to play out inside.

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 bludgeoned to the death with an axe.

The couple’s youngest child, Marli, then 16, was critically wounded.

This week, after more than a year of intense speculation, the only other member of the family, 21-year-old Henri, who sustained only minor injuries in the incident, was arrested and charged with the crime.

It emerged this week that the entire crime scene was confined exclusively to the inside of the house.

Guards found no breaches of the estate’s security systems, no one had forced their way into the house, and nothing had been stolen from it.

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 The Independent on Saturday’s sister newspaper, 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.”

However, De Zalze’s estate manager, Boet Grobler, revealed that they would be closely following the legal proceedings surrounding Van Breda.

“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… 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.

This week, Lorinda van Niekerk, a member of Henri’s legal team, said the defence would not yet be sharing any information about their take on the case.