Teen arrested for murder of Cape magistrate
AN 18-YEAR-OLD suspect who has been linked to the murder of Cape Town magistrate Romay van Rooyen is expected to appear in the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
The suspect was traced and arrested at his home in Mitchells Plain in a multi-disciplinary operation, police said.
Van Rooyen, magistrate at the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court, was found dead in her Red Roman Street, Marina Da Gama home more than two weeks ago.
It is alleged the 50-year-old was found by a relative in her bedroom. She was declared deceased on the scene.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the 18-year-old suspect was identified as a possible suspect following the discovery of Van Rooyen’s body.
A search of the scene revealed that her car had been stolen and it was later recovered in Mitchells Plain, Mogale said.
Van Rooyen started her career as a prosecutor in 1997, working in the district and regional courts before becoming a State Advocate in the Western Cape High Court.
Van Rooyen was well known in the justice fraternity for the successful prosecution of Johannes de Jager in the double-murder of two teenagers in 2014.
She became an acting magistrate in 2016 and presided at various magistrate’s courts in the Western Cape. In addition, she was appointed permanently as additional magistrate for the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court last year.
At her funeral which was held on Saturday, she was described as a people’s person and someone who always went the extra mile to help others.
At the funeral, friend and colleague Advocate Evadne Kortjie from the National Prosecuting Authority fondly remembered how everyone always sought Van Rooyen’s advice before heading to court in big cases.
“She knew how to listen and how to give direction.
“The best thing about her was that she could relate to any person, and that is what made her an outstanding state prosecutor.”
The advocate concluded by saying that, even though Van Rooyen’s death had been untimely, she had still made her mark in life.