Cecilia Steyn is seen during the ‘Krugersdorp murders’ trial at the South Gauteng High Court on 27 November 2018 in Johannesburg. Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Felix Dlangamandla
You might be forgiven for thinking that Krugersdorp killer Cecilia Steyn has developed an unexpectedly softer side when it was recently reported she’s reading Mills & Boon novels and found love behind bars with Pofadder Hotel murderer Suretha Brits. She even joined the choir at Sun City Maximum Security Prison and played netball.
Last Sunday, this seemingly meek and mild picture of Steyn was replaced by one of a woman plotting and planning a daring prison escape.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the attempted escape though, it’s worth mentioning that the dark and twisted crimes of Steyn still haunt the West Rand town of Krugersdorp.
Steyn – a policeman’s wife and mother of two – is serving 13 life sentences in Sun City’s D3 maximum section where some of South Africa’s most high-profile female criminals are held.
Some of her fellow inmates include the convicted fraudster Hildegard Steenkamp; Rochelle Botha – who murdered her two-year-old daughter, Chevonne Rusch; and one of Steyn’s accomplices, the “former school teacher turned murderer” Marinda Steyn.
Steyn was the ringleader of the satanic cult group Electus per Deus (Chosen by God) who collectively murdered 11 people between 2012 and 2016 in Krugersdorp – first for revenge and then for financial gain.
The macabre tale of Steyn, a supposed 42nd-generational witch, and her inner circle’s horrific killing spree was captured in the chilling true crime documentary series, Devilsdorp which aired on Showmax in 2021.
This series delved into the intricate details of the murders, the investigation that led to the apprehension of the group’s members, and the trial that followed.
Besides Cecilia and Marinda, the Electus per Deus cult-like group also consisted of insurance broker Zak Valentine, his late wife Mikaela Valentine, John Barnard, as well as Marinda’s two children, Le Roux and Marcel, who all received multiple life sentences.
According to a Netwerk24 report, an insider told the publication that the Department of Correctional Services’ (DCD) emergency support descended upon the prison to carry out a raid.
The publication revealed that the entire D3 section was allegedly put on lockdown on the Thursday before Sunday’s raid.
The source said emergency support services were only called in when there was a riot, for serious search operations or when prisoners must be transported.
“They look like a proper attack team, with massive automatic weapons, and so on. Masked, the works. A very serious bunch.”
The source described the chaos that ensued when beds were tipped over, cupboards raided, and cellphones and a “map of the prison” were confiscated, as “something out of [a] movie”.
However, the department spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, refused to confirm the events when contacted by Netwerk24. He also strongly denied the alleged escape plans.
According to the source, about eight prisoners, including Steyn, Marinda Steyn, Botha and Steenkamp, were allegedly moved to another prison on Monday.
Due to “safety reasons”, Nxumalo didn’t want to confirm the transfer of any prisoners. He explained, however, that this was nothing out of the ordinary and was done due to overcrowding in the country’s corrective centres.
Another reliable source told the publication that Steyn had been planning an escape “for a while”.
Cecilia and Marinda, her best friends, with whom she planned the Krugersdorp murders, have never been separated in jail.
The plan was allegedly to “pay someone” to put something into the food to make the prisoners ill.
The source told Netwerk24 that Steyn and her fellow “would-be” escapees would not have eaten the food and – when all the ill prisoners were taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital – they would have executed their escape.
The source said the plan was thwarted when the information was leaked, and it came under the attention of prison authorities.
Both sources revealed that their SIM cards and cellphones were confiscated, and the women were not allowed to pack their belongings before they were moved on Monday.
“No cigarettes. No coffee. Nothing, nothing. Just the clothes on their backs.”
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The department recently also denied that Le Roux Steyn was seriously ill.
A confidant confirmed to Netwerk24 that he was in the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg for a liver ailment.
He was sentenced to 35 years of immediate imprisonment in 2019 with a 10-year suspended sentence. Le Roux will most likely never see his mother or sister, Marcel, again.
He would have served a 373-year sentence if he had not signed a plea bargain.
Many who attended the court proceedings commented that his sentence was too light, believing that he played a big part in the murders.
He was convicted of seven murders for which he would have received seven life sentences (175 years), burglary with aggravating circumstances (75 years), illegal possession of a firearm (eight years), illegal possession of ammunition (three years), racketeering (three years), conspiracy to murder (15 years), fraud (15 years), credit card fraud (three years), and defeating the ends of justice (one year).
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Marcel was sentenced to 15 years in jail for the murders she committed before turning 18 and life for those she committed when she became an adult, which means she must serve seven life terms.
During evidence in mitigation of sentence, probation officer and psychologist Rosiland Macnab, who evaluated Marcel, told the court that she was 10 when her twice-divorced mother joined a church where she met “murder mastermind” Cecilia Steyn.
She was then introduced to satanic beliefs and from 13 she was exposed to Cecilia’s “high nights” and horrific videos.
“Marcel was never afforded the opportunity to live the life of a free child and pursue her life as a healthy normal teenager as she was manipulated, indoctrinated and brainwashed,” said Macnab.
By the age of 14, Marcel was using the street drugs Cat and Tik. and accompanying her co-conspirators to commit murder.
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