A 39-year-old man who left South Africa to avoid standing trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 2011 was brought back into the country on 9 October.
Gerard Jansen van Vuuren was due to face trial in 2013 after he had allegedly stabbed Andrea Venter, his then 25-year-old girlfriend, to death in December 2011.
Brigadier Vish Naidoo, the national police spokesperson said the incident took place outside the deceased’s Fourways residence. “After a failed suicide attempt at the scene of crime, Jansen van Vuuren was charged with the murder of Venter before the Randburg Magistrates’ Court.
“He was later granted bail in the Johannesburg High Court after the SAPS successfully opposed bail twice before the Randburg Magistrates’ Court.”
Naidoo added, “Four days before the start of his murder trial in May 2013, Jansen van Vuuren fled the country using false travel documentation.”
His fleeing the country led to a warrant issued by Interpol Pretoria, which commenced a process to trace and track him down. Jansen van Vuuren was arrested in August 2013 and charged for false documentation. He was released in 2015 after serving a sentence for this crime.
Naidoo said, “For a number of years, Interpol Pretoria had been in contact with Brazilian authorities to locate him.”
In June, the collaborative efforts of the investigating teams led to the arrest of the murder fugitive at an identified location in Brazil.
“He was kept in police custody at a public prison in Rio de Janeiro since his arrest. Following a lengthy investigation, the murder fugitive is set to be back in the country to face a crime he allegedly committed a little less than a decade ago,” he said.
Brigadier Naidoo said Jansen van Vuuren landed at OR Tambo International Airport on 9 October with the investigating team from Interpol involved in tracking and tracing him.
National Commissioner of Police, General Khehla Sitole commended the South African Police Service for the work done by everyone involved, and that Jansen van Vuuren’s arrest is a ‘victory for us as a service’.
“Thank you to the team who didn’t give up even after years of hard work.
“This is a culmination of hard work and the relentless efforts of our law enforcement officers including the IPS (Investigative Psychology Section) within the SAPS, Interpol Pretoria, the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) and the Brazilian Federal Police.
“Our focus is to bring closure to the family and friends of the deceased as well as to ensure that justice is served.”
Jansen van Vuuren is due to appear in court again on 6 November.
