Najwa's mask slips

2008-12-02 23:07

Carryn-Ann Nel and Illana Frantz

Cape Town ? For the first time in almost two years of investigations and trial procedures, Najwa Petersen let slip the tight control she had over her emotions and cried in court.

She'd earlier been found guilty by Cape High Court Siraj Desai of murdering her musician husband Taliep Petersen.

Two of her co-accused - Abdoer Emjedi and Waheed Hassen - were also found guilty, although the court could not determine who had fired the execution-style shot that killed Taliep.

The fourth accused, Jefferson Snyders, was only found guilty of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

While she'd looked straight ahead as the Judge delivered his sentence, the emotion showed when she turned to her two eldest children and asked them to look after their younger sister, Zaynab, 9.

"Promise me you'll look after Zaynab," an emotional Najwa shouted to Achmat Gamieldien and Sulaiman Effendi.

They tried to keep up her spirits. But she leaned back in the dock and cried.

Son swamped by media

After leaving the court building, Effendi stood disconsolately outside the gates where his mother would be driven out in a police van, crying to himself. He was swamped by photographers and video cameras.

He and a crying Gamieldien later hugged each other.

Hysteria broke out earlier when Desai found Najwa guilty.

People in the public gallery shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is great) as the judge read out the judgment.

Meanwhile, Najwa's sons sobbed hopelessly at the back of the court.

Desai postponed the matter to February 4 next year for sentencing procedures, after a request from Najwa's senior counsel Johan Engelbrecht for that date. He intends to call a forensic criminologist to present as complete a picture as possible of his client.

'My dad isn't coming back'

He said the family advocate will appear in court to determine what would happen to Zaynab. Taliep's brother Igsaan Petersen assured reporters that she would be in good hands.

After the judgment, Taliep's daughter Fatima told News24 outside the court: "The fact remains that my dad is not coming back - and that hurts the most."

"I don't know if I can go on with my life yet," the theatre legend's eldest daughter Jawaahier said.

"For the past two years to say I grieved my father would be a lie. Since the day my father died it's just been media exposure and theories. But now I can finally lay him to rest in my heart and my head."

- Die Burger