Cop tells of shock at Griekwastad murders
2013-03-15 18:19
Kimberley - A Griekwastad policeman told the Northern Cape High Court on Friday he was shocked at the news of a farm attack in the district over the Easter Weekend in 2012.
"In the 15 years in Griekwastad it never happened," said Warrant Officer Anthony Wildt.
The court was hearing evidence in the triple murder trial of a 16-year-old youth who is accused of killing farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christel, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14, on the farm Naauwhoek, on 6 April.
Wildt was the duty officer at the Griekwastad police station on the night of the murders.
He told the court the attack was reported at 18:50 on 6 April 2012, and that police immediately went out to the farm.
He immediately called investigators locally and at a provincial level.
Earlier, Griekwastad detective Warrant Officer Sebastiaan Mofokeng testified that police informants were unable to provide information about the murders.
He told the court he had also not received information about anybody suddenly spending a huge amount of cash.
Mofokeng, who has 22 years experience in the police in Griekwastad, said the normal type of investigation carried out in farm attacks - among farm workers and their friends - also yielded no information.
Mofokeng testified he was the first policeman on the scene.
He moved into the house with some police officers covering him from a possible attack, and gave orders that nothing should be touched or moved while they checked for survivors inside.
Mofokeng testified that he recognised the victims because he knew them.
He also testified that he saw there was grass on the blood-stained T-shirt of the girl, which was lying inside the house.
Mofokeng said a white Nissan 1400 bakkie found abandoned on the road to the farm belonged to a farmworker named Jan Koopman.
Under cross-examination, Mofokeng acknowledged that he had many unsolved cases on his desk.
He agreed with the youth's defence counsel Willem Coetzee that in many cases no information came in from informants.
The case was adjourned to Monday.
- SAPA
