Lotz trial drawing to a close
23/10/2007 18:24  - (SA)  

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Fred van der Vyver leaves the Cape High Court on Monday, after testifying that he and Inge Lotz were in love. (Denzil Maregele, Die Burger)

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Cape Town - The trial of actuary Fred van der Vyver, accused of murdering his student girlfriend Inge Lotz, appears to be drawing to a close.

Prosecutor Carine Theunissen told the Cape High Court on Tuesday afternoon she would finish her cross-examination of Van der Vyver, who has been in the stand for five days, on Wednesday morning.

It is expected that after re-examination and any questions the judge may have, the case will be postponed to the end of the month for a fresh set of final arguments.

Van der Vyver did not initially testify in his own defence. It was only when Judge Deon van Zyl raised questions about his alibi in closing arguments, that his defence team applied to reopen its case and call him.

Questioned on Tuesday about a letter Lotz wrote to him only hours before she died, Van der Vyver said he had no idea why she vowed faithfulness to him in it.

He told the court earlier he had asked her to write to him to explain why she was tearful when he left her that morning to attend a class at the University of Stellenbosch.

Faithfulness

Part of the letter, which she gave him when he emerged from the class, said: "I can also promise you that I will with God's grace always remain faithful and that I will never do anything behind your back."

The words "will never cheat you" were crossed out.

Later in the letter, written in pink ink, she said she felt she disappointed him by not being "as perfect as you".

Van der Vyver told the court on Tuesday that he interpreted this as her saying she was serious about wanting to be supportive of him, and that she felt she was not perfect in that regard.

"I did not expect her to be perfect," he said.

The question of faithfulness had never come up that morning, nor at any other time.

Prosecutor Carine Theunissen asked him why, if they had a good relationship, she had felt the need to say those things.

Van der Vyver said she had crossed out the reference to cheating because she realised it was not necessary to say it.

For the rest, Lotz had felt she needed to say those things to him.

"I really can't say why," he said.

He said faithfulness was a serious issue to her.

- SAPA

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