Couple bludgeoned to death

2005-07-11 22:01

Virginia Keppler

Pretoria - A tackie and various household items lay strewn outside a house on a smallholding in Heatherdale, Akasia, north of Pretoria, where Helgard Brink, 46, and his wife Salomie, 49, were murdered at the weekend.

The Brinks apparently were overcome at their house on Friday or Saturday night and bludgeoned to death with a blunt object.

Brink had a large wound in his forehead. His body was found in the lounge.

The body of his wife, who was in her nightclothes, was found in the main bedroom.

François Brink said his father and stepmother's house was in chaos when other members of the family arrived there on Sunday morning.

The couple's bakkie and car had not been touched and it seemed as if nothing had been stolen.

Inspector Lukas Sithole said a friend of the couple became suspicious when he wanted to visit the Brinks about 13:15 on Sunday.

Noticed items outside the house

"He got no reaction when he wanted to drive in at the gates to the plot so he jumped the fence. He noticed a tackie and other household items outside the house," said Sithole.

The friend called police who went to investigate.

Brink jun said his parents had lived on the smallholding for the past nine years.

"My dad was a mechanical engineer and my mom worked in the human resources division of Bosh Audits," he said.

A shocked Christina Mogale, the Brinks' domestic worker for the past 14 years, said she had last seen the couple about 14:30 on Friday afternoon when she went home for the weekend.

"It hurts me very much, I cannot believe it. These were very good people," said Mogale.

On Monday, François and Helgard Brink and their sister, Jolanda Griesse, with stepbrothers Marius and Paul Swannevelder and stepsister Madelein Smith were all standing around in a daze at the smallholding.

- Beeld