‘Not so secure’ at De Zalze

A former security manager at upmarket security estate De Zalze in Stellenbosch testified at the trial of Henri van Breda, pictured, yesterday about “security concerns” while he worked there.

Defence witness Jaco Pietersen told the Western Cape High Court there had been five incidents during his tenure – in one, a person gained access under the Spier gate and fiddled with the camera.

Cellphone footage taken from a security screen and shot by Pietersen was shown in court to demonstrate security breaches.

Pietersen told the court three people were spotted gaining access to the estate, but the footage only showed one.

The former security manager said the man was carrying a panga, but this wasn’t clearly visible and Judge Siraj Desai said he couldn’t see it.

Earlier, senior state prosecutor Susan Galloway objected to the defence calling Pietersen, saying he was not relevant and that his last connection with the estate had been in February 2014, almost a full year before the murders.

Pietersen is the fifth defence witness to take the stand in the trial of Van Breda, 22, who faces three charges of murder, one of attempted murder and one of defeating the ends of justice for the axe killings of his parents and brother in their family home at De Zalze in January 2015.

His sister Marli, who was 16 at the time, survived but suffered severe brain injuries and has retrograde amnesia.

Van Breda claims that a laughing intruder, armed with an axe and knife, was behind the attacks. – ANA