Wife of Mooinooi murderer present when victims were raped, court hears

The wife of the so-called ‘mastermind’ behind the murders was allegedly present when the victims were raped, and it is also alleged she later bought the lye used on the dead bodies.

The two women accused of being involved in the Mooinooi murder case.

This is the account the Brits Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday, during the bail application of eight suspects implicated in the murder of Anisha (30) and Joey (32) van Niekerk on 10 December in Mooinooi, Kormorant reports.

According to Colonel Isaac Tlhape, the investigating officer in the murder case, the 21-year-old woman allegedly gave the other murder suspects a contract to purchase the farm, and forced Anisha and Joey to sign the contract by threatening them with a firearm.

The day after the victims were raped, murdered and their bodies burned, the ‘mastermind’ cleaned the scene thoroughly.

Tlhape added the 18-year-old girlfriend of the ‘mastermind’s’ 29-year-old son was present when the murdered couple’s burnt remains were discarded in a nearby veld, and also helped to clean the murder scene.

“The day after the victims were brutally raped, murdered and their burnt remains discarded, she [the girlfriend of the ‘mastermind’s’ son] received instruction to clean up the scene, which she did. Her compliance makes her part of this murder case,” Tlhape said.

In addition, Tlhape says she was called by someone and instructed to destroy the victims’ hidden watches and rings. The same cellphone was used by the 29-year-old son to send a WhatsApp message to a friend, which read: “We are in serious trouble, my father just murdered someone.”

The 29-year-old son was further implicated after Tlhape revealed to the court that it was he who drove the murdered women’s car to Magaliesberg, where it was burned. He also allegedly drove the vehicle when the women’s remains were discarded in a nearby veld.

Tlhape reiterated that the accused could not be eligible for bail, as none of them had jobs or homes, as the farm where the murders took place is still a crime scene which is being investigated. He added their safety was at risk.

The bail application for the Mooinooi murder accused will continue, and the investigator will be cross-examined by the suspects’ legal counsel.

This article was translated from Afrikaans.

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/mooinooi-murder-bail-hearing-continues-in-the-brits-court/

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