Father recounts slain son’s death

SLAIN Eerste River toddler Orderick Lucas’s father was grilled for a second day in the Western Cape High Court yesterday, where he was made to recount the events that led to his son’s disappearance and murder.

Cross-examination into Doukomancia Kounkou Dziendelet’s testimony was concluded, where he swore vehemently that he had asked murder-accused Melvin Volkwyn whether his son was with him, after a fight with the child’s mother, Davidene Lucas.

Raising his right hand in the witness box, Dziendelet, speaking in French, exclaimed: “I swear, I swear, I swear ... that I asked Melvin where Orderick was and he assured me Orderick was with him at home.”

But further probing by the defence showed that Dziendelet, who said he was “satisfied” that Orderick was with Volkwyn, could eventually not be sure as Volkwyn arrived at his house with a friend.

Defence attorney Susan Kuun asked Dziendelet where he thought Orderick could have been at that stage.

“It is simple. I don’t know ... I thought they would bring him home.”

Asked further about the care that Lucas had given to the children, Dziendelet conceded that if Lucas was a “good mother” Orderick’s arm would not have been broken and he would not have gone missing.

Kuun had put a number of probabilities to Dziendelet in which she accused him of being “untruthful to the court”, stating that Dziendelet “knew something happened to the child, that’s why he never went to look for Orderick”.

Dziendelet responded to this saying that he had “hoped” he would fetch Orderick from where he was believed to be in Volkwyn’s care.

Orderick was last seen on March 24, 2019, and reported missing on March 25 that year.

His lifeless body was found eight days later in a stormwater drain.

The case continues.