Neighbour who allegedly hacked woman’s body to pieces called ‘f***ing rubbish’ in court

A man accused of killing and then dismembering a woman who lived in the same block of flats as him made his first appearance in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Kyle Ruiters, 24, dressed in a tracksuit top and jeans, walked into the dock as relatives of Lynette Volschenk, 32, looked on from the front row of the public gallery.

One of her loved ones whispered to him: “Jy’s ‘n f****n rubbish” [You’re a f***ing rubbish], before being reprimanded by a police officer.

Advocate Theresa Ruiters, who reportedly adopted the accused when he was two years old, watched proceedings from the back row. They are believed to have lived together in a flat one floor below that of Volschenk.

Volschenk’s mutilated body was found in black bags at the block of flats on Thursday morning.

Netwerk24 reported that her head was found in a shopping bag in bushes nearby.

Prosecutor Lulama Qunta told the court that Ruiters would be kept in custody at the holding cells of Bellville police station “for further investigation” until his next appearance on Monday, September 2.

She confirmed that he had a fixed address, a clean record, no previous matters and no warrants of arrests against him.

“The State will oppose his release on bail.”

His lawyer, Edward Mccullum, said he had no objections to the postponement.

Some members of the newly formed Facebook group “SA Women Fight Back” held up placards outside, after handing a petition to the court that asked for Ruiters not to be granted bail.

The group has obtained more than 9,100 signatures since the petition went live three days ago.

One of the members, Natalie Carter, said they attended to show solidarity and to call for the justice system to be changed because it was “failing ordinary citizens”.

“We are speaking on behalf of those who have been silenced forever.”

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