SMS 'love triangle' is deadly

2007-03-14 23:26

Alet van Zyl

Pretoria - "I can't believe you've stabbed me," said a 25-year-old man from Garsfontein, Pretoria, after a row about an SMS flirtation, before he collapsed.

André Serfontein, who died later, had apparently agreed to meet his alleged attacker, Tian Harmse.

They were going to talk about friction between Harmse, his girlfriend, Louise Palm, and her former boyfriend, Barry Schentke.

The flirtation apparently was between Palm and Schentke.

Serfontein arranged with Harmse to go to Palm's house in Claremont, Pretoria, on Sunday, to discuss the matter.

Serfontein was there as a third party, to put Schentke's case.

Cops were called

Shortly after his arrival at the house in Claremont, Serfontein and Harmse came to blows.

Donovan Pretorius, Serfontein's father, said the fight was apparently so rowdy that one of the neighbours called the police to report a domestic disturbance.

When the police arrived at the house, Serfontein had been stabbed with a butcher's knife.

He died before he arrived at hospital.

Pretorius said Serfontein's girlfriend, Tanya van der Mescht, had phoned them hysterically from the hospital to tell them that André had been stabbed.

Pretorius said: "Luckily, we were visiting friends in Pretoria and we could get there quickly.

"I am very observant and when I saw the respirator still lying in the ambulance I wondered why it wasn't on my boy.

"I knew it was bad news, the emergency personnel had already given up.

"When I lifted the sheet from his face, his eyes were still open. Shocked. You could see he had had a big fright," said Pretorius.

Under house arrest

Police spokesperson Lucas Sithole said Harmse, 20, had been arrested on the same day on a charge of murder.

He already has appeared in Pretoria magistrate's court and the case was postponed to April 18.

Harmse is out on bail, but under house arrest.

- Beeld