Matie murder suspect 'injured'
2009-06-04 23:25
Stellenbosch – A bearded and forlorn Matie, Jacobus Eksteen, 24, on Thursday appeared in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court facing charges of murder and kidnapping, after the death of a fellow student, Erin van Rensburg, 20.
Police found Van Rensburg’s body in a sand dune grave at Elandsbaai on the West Coast on Wednesday morning.
Van Rensburg was originally from Mossel Bay and was a second-year B.Com student.
A friend of the young woman reported her missing at Stellenbosch police station on Monday afternoon. Eksteen was arrested in Stellenbosch at about 15:00 on Tuesday.
He is a final year B.Acc student who matriculated at Upington High School with six distinctions.
Eksteen’s parents, Koos and Mariëtte Eksteen, have already left Upington and are on their way to Stellenbosch. “They’re absolutely shattered and broken,” said an informed source.
Suspect injured
Dressed in a cream jersey and grey tracksuit pants, Eksteen walked into court looking at nothing but the floor, and sat next to the accused bench in court room B before the trial was set to begin.
His legal representative, Advocate Sakkie Maartens, asked the court to postpone the case, since Eksteen first needed medical attention from the district surgeon for injuries he had sustained.
Magistrate Anita Potgieter wanted to know whether these injuries were related to the alleged incident, upon which Maartens answered: “Yes, they are related to the alleged incident. I would prefer not to give any more details now.”
He emphasised that Eksteen’s injuries were not sustained during his arrest. “Not a word was said about police assault,” he said.
No family members in court
Potgieter provisionally postponed the case until 9 June for further investigation. In the meantime, Eksteen will be held in the holding cells at the Stellenbosch police station.
No family members of Van Rensburg or Eksteen were seen in court.
Rumours that Van Rensburg had been choked could not be confirmed by the police on Thursday.
“The manner in which she was murdered, will only be made public once the post-mortem has been completed,” said René Matthee, spokesperson for Stellenbosch police. The post-mortem will be done on Friday, Matthee added.