Mystery surrounds Matie's death

2003-05-15 21:19

Ziegfried Ekron and Thinus Ferreira

Cape Town - Stellenbosch University was rocked by the death of a final-year engineering student who fell from his eighth floor window early on Thursday.

Flowers and notes next to a row of bins behind the Helshoogte residence were the only signs that marked the place where Johan van Dijk, 22, died under mysterious circumstances.

Two first-year students found Van Dijk's body at 03:30 on the tarmac, 24m under his window. He apparently fell to his death.

Stellenbosch police spokesperson Anton de Kock said the last time Van Dijk's friends saw him alive was just after midnight on Wednesday.

"As far as we can gather the guys were celebrating someone's birthday. Van Dijk went to bed but some of his friends popped in to see if he wanted anything from the shop. They said he was already in bed."

Friends on the 8th floor refused to speak to the media.

Students standing around in small groups on campus speculated Van Dijk may have been drunk and lost his balance when he opened the window.

Police said they searched his room for clues and his windowsill for fingerprints on Thursday.

De Kock said a routine investigation into his death had been launched but at this stage foul play was not suspected.

It was unclear if he fell out the window by accident. No suicide note was found on the scene.

Van Dijk was a junior air force officer studying electrical engineering.

The eighth floor is normally reserved for defence force members studying full time at the university. <

- Die Burger