Lotzes alarmed by death threats

2008-07-18 16:13

Verashni Pillay

Cape Town - The family of Inge Lotz have expressed alarm at death threats against Fred van der Vyver, who was last year found not guilty of her murder.

"While the family is convinced van der Vyver did murder their daughter, Inge, and understands that people are very emotional about his acquittal in the criminal courts, it is deplorable that there are people who would consider taking the law into their own hands," family spokesperson Dani Cohen said.

She told News24 she was responding to newspaper reports and had no information about the actual threats. "We have no idea who it would have come from."

"The alleged threats are not being investigated by Saps," Western Cape police spokesperson Superintendent Andre Traut told News24.

Fred van der Vyver, who was acquitted last year of the murder of his Stellenbosch student girlfriend Inge Lotz, received three threats against his life from different sources last weekend, Die Burger reported.

'Be careful'

The 26-year-old actuary first received a threatening call on Friday 11 July 2008 from an Asian country, according to his legal counsel, Advocate Dup de Bruyn.

De Bruyn said a woman with a South African first name and Asian surname, told Van der Vyver he must be "careful" and listed dates when he should watch out.

De Bruyn received threatening calls from two different sources on Saturday and Sunday, apparently from South Africa.

The threats did not specify any action but Van der Vyver's father told the Cape Argus information showed the attempts would make his death appear accidental.

"We do not know for certain from where the threat might emanate, but the contents of the warnings we had received may suggest that it is not impossible that it might come from individuals operating within state structures," he said.

Meanwhile police detectives are examining statements by convicted criminal Werner Carolus, 21, that he witnessed Lotz's murder on March 16 2005.

Not guilty

Van der Vyver was charged with Inge's murder, but was found not guilty on November 29 last year.

He is now suing the State for more than R46m for wrongful prosecution, while the Lotz family are suing him for about R8.5m for emotional damages. They still believe he was responsible for the murder of their daughter.

"At the moment everybody is still busy putting the case together and the next step would be to ask for a court date," said Cohen.

"Every day is a struggle for them," she said of the Lotz family. "They lost their only beloved daughter in the most horrific way you could possibly imagine and the person who killed her is still out there living his life."

- News24