Lotz: SMSs declare love

2005-06-19 11:35

Cape Town - Murdered Matie student Inge Lotz, 22, on the day of her death sent love messages to the man who is being accused of murdering her.

One of two letters handed to Fred van der Vyver at 10:00 on March 16, the day she was murdered, stated that she had loved him sincerely for the past year.

Later on the same day she sent him an SMS, saying: "Enjoyed visiting with W! Finished replacing tiles. Missing you already. xx"

Lotz referred to Wimpie Boshoff, one of her best friends in this message sent at 13:36. Boshoff, along with Van der Vyver, delivered an eulogy at Lotz's memorial service a week later.

On the day of her death, workers replaced broken tiles on the balcony of her flat on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. Earlier that day, at 08:08, she told Van der Vyver: "Please let me know when your class is over - want to come and give you something. All my love. x

At 11:50 she sent him another SMS: Hi. The class wasn't so bad." She again declared her love for him.

This information, made available by William Booth, Van der Vyver's laywer, forms part of a complete report on the suspects' movements on the day Lotz was bludgeoned to death with an ornamental hammer.

There was no sign of forced entry to the flat, and only the remote control of the complex's security gate was missing.

The hammer, which belonged to Van der Vyver and which had his name engraved on it, was a present Lotz gave him from her parents, Prof Jan and Juanita Lotz of Belville.

Van der Vyver took the hammer from beneath his bakkie's seat on April 15 and handed it to police who searched his office, flat and bakkie.

Van der Vyver told Rapport he didn't want to fight.

"I am in God's hands. It doesn't matter what people think of me: all I'm asking is that the truth will come out."

"The most difficult is to love people who has done you an injustice," he said.

Van der Vyver handed himself over to police during the week and he was formally charged with Lotz's murder. He appeared in the Stellenbosch magistrate's court and was released on R10 000 bail. The case was postponed until September 16 for further investigations.

Booth on Thursday handed a letter containing a report on Van der Vyver's alibi on the day of the murder to director of public prosecutions Nollie Niehaus.

Gerrit Lamprecht, managing director of Quemic South, a private investigating firm, told Rapport the letter contained a minute-by-minute report on Van der Vyver's movements on March 16 and 17.

It showed that Van der Vyver spent Tuesday night at her flat in order to attend classes at Stellenbosch on Wednesday. She saw him at 10:00 to hand him an envelope containing letters, which were in the possession of police.

According to security videos from Old Mutual, he entered the building at 11:09 and left at 18:05.

- Rapport