Murdered kids' mom tells of pain
2006-12-20 10:53
Cape Town - "I watched my children being shot to death in front of me. I saw the blood as the bullets hit their heads.
"Now I'm trying to live for them, but then you encounter a man at the shopping centre - the man who (allegedly) killed your children."
Captain Charlotte van der Westhuizen, 35, had to watch her children Bianca, 16, Marius, five, and Antoinette, 21 months, being shot dead in their house in King Street, Brackenfell, on July 28. Her husband Marius van der Westhuizen, 44, is being charged with the murder of his children.
Charlotte van der Westhuizen for the first time on Tuesday spoke about her fears. She questioned the judicial system. She said she encountered him about 16:30 on Monday in the parking lot at the Fairbridge shopping centre.
"I was taking the keys from my handbag. When I looked up, I saw him. He was a few metres away from me."
Van der Westhuizen appeared in the Blue Downs magistrate's court on murder charges on Monday. He was earlier released on R5 000 bail, but may not go near his home in Brackenfell.
"He is still out there. He can still see me. It feels as if he is still intimidating me. I'm questioning the judicial system," said Charlotte.
She has been experiencing different emotions since the shooting. "I'm going through different phases: shock, reality, anger and acceptance. I've not reached acceptance yet."