Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
CHESLIN MARSH RELIVES HANNAH HORROR
Cheslin Marsh is battling to come to terms with the murder of his friend, Hannah Cornelius
“THEY told me to put my head on a brick. I just closed my eyes, asked God to forgive me for all the things that I had done. I felt the first blow to my head, I said amen, and then I passed out. When I woke up the sun was shining on me and I knew that God had spared my life.”
Cheslin Marsh, 22, was describing what happened to him on the morning of May 27, 2017. Hours before the terrible assault, he and his friend, Hannah Cornelius, were abducted from outside Marsh’s student residence in Stellenbosch by four men.
They had been sitting in Cornelius’s car, chatting, when they were attacked.
Cornelius was later raped and killed and her body was discovered that same morning.
Vernon Witbooi, Geraldo Parsons, Eben van Niekerk and Nashville Julius are on trial for her rape and murder.
Marsh was bundled into the boot of the blue Citi Golf and for hours he had to endure being there while the men drove around with Cornelius in the car.
He was a first-year theology student at the time of the murder and has since dropped out of university.
Marsh refers to the murder of his friend as an “accident”. “It’s easier for me to use that word,” he said.
He spent more than a month in hospital and had surgery on his left arm, which was broken while he was assaulted.
“When I look at my arm, I am not reminded of the accident; I remind myself of how strong I am,” he said.
Marsh said he was slowly rebuilding his life and planned to continue studying next year, but would not say what course he aimed to enrol for.
He said found out Cornelius had been murdered only two days after her death. He did not attend her funeral.
“The worst part is that I still held out hope that they would drop us off, as they had promised to do. They never did,” he said, shaking his head and trying very hard to retain his composure.
Since the murder of his friend, Marsh has seen a psychologist twice and said he was healing himself “inside his head”.
“I don’t want to live in a black hole. I still get emotional, but it’s not as intense as before,” he said.
He admitted his faith had taken a knock and he had started questioning why God would allow something like that to happen to him and his friend.
“Eventually I just told God that He should take control of the wheel. I was so sad, I was so angry that my friend died the way she did.”
Marsh said when they were first approached by the men, they were threatened with a screwdriver, and were told they would die if they did not co-operate.
“I tried to take the screwdriver, but we were overpowered. I know I am not responsible for what happened, but there are times that I do wonder if I could have done more,” he said.
Marsh said his mother was his greatest inspiration and had helped him become a better person.
His stepfather had often said: “More sal die son weer skyn.” (Tomorrow the sun will shine again.)
He said he wanted to start an NGO one day and inspire others.