It’s Day 2 of Marcel Steyn’s testimony in the reconvened #KrugersdorpMurders trial taking place in the South Gauteng High Court, with journalist Natasha Pretorius reporting from a very tense courtroom.
The trial resumed yesterday, 13 May, after it was adjourned in December last year. Marcel, daughter of Marinda Steyn and part of the alleged Electus Per Deus ministry, which was allegedly formed and led by the infamous Cecilia Steyn, gave her shocking testimony.
New evidence was presented in court yesterday which left everyone gasping for air.
Read about the proceedings of the first day here:
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• Marcel took the stand again this morning.
Her questioning started with Zak Valentine’s lawyer asking if she classified herself as intelligent, to which she replied, “Yes”.
She explained that she truly believed that Cecilia Steyn was a Christian and said Cecilia explained to her that there are certain things you are born with, certain powers, and the more generations you have before you, the more powers you have, so even though Cecilia was not in the Satanic church any more, she still had these abilities.
When asked who it was that threatened her if she were to leave the group, she said it was mostly her mother and Cecilia; sometimes her brother as well, but never Zak. She agreed that her initial version of how things happened was false and that her co-accused did not have time to respond to her newest version. She never approached her previous lawyer about coming clean.
She explained that she was approached about turning state witness like her brother, and that her previous advocate had informed her of the option. She did not take the deal however, even after her father and brother asked her to confess.
When asked where she thought the money for their lifestyle came from, she said Cecilia told them she had inherited a farm from her grandfather and that the farm was still active, thus she received proceeds from it on a regular basis. She was aware that her co-accused made monetary contributions, but believed it all went to the orphanage. She felt that everything they did was for the greater good of the orphans (Cecilia had told them of the group of “orphans” for whom they were praying). Natacha Burger, a member of Ria Grunewald’s prayer group, had written a prayer that somehow led to many orphanage children dying, and it was Cecilia’s intention to scare them into stopping the prayers. This seemed to be the reasoning Cecilia used to convince the group to murder Natacha.
When asked what she believed happened to the money from the murders committed in 2016 and onward, she said she believed some of the ‘murder money’ was used to pay Cecilia’s psychologist and the rest of the money went to the orphanage.
She also acknowledged that there were police officers who visited Cecilia’s husband at her house. She said she didn’t tell any of them what was going on because she was scared they wouldn’t believe her if she told them everything.
The lawyer pointed out that her testimony and that of her brother, Le Roux, differ quite a bit, as do her mother’s testimony and her own.
She described her mother’s testimony as a last resort attempt to keep her and Cecilia out of it. Her mother lied to protect her.
Marcel remembers Zak coming to Cecilia’s flat with firearms that he went to pick up. This was before the Meyer (Peter and Joan) murders, but she cannot pin the time-line down closer than that.
Marcel was present while fertiliser bombs were being built and she was present while they were “testing certain theories” at the dams.
Marcel confirms that contrary to Le Roux’s statement, she was in fact involved in the murder of Pastor Reginald John Bendixen.
Marcel was also part of the scouting and planning of the murders of the Meyers. She is the only accused telling the court that she and Zak went gambling with the money they stole during the murder of the Meyers. There was a plan to have Marcel’s biological father murdered for the insurance money.
Marcel stated that she sees her mother’s testimony as a desperate attempt to get herself (Marcel) and Cecilia off, and stated that most of Marinda’s statement consisted of lies.
Marinda’s statement that the money obtained in the latter killings was used to support Zak is untrue, according to Marcel.
She stated that she never felt any hatred towards Zak. He taught her how to drive, and even helped her with her studies. Marcel never told Zak that she had romantic feelings towards him.
• Second Defence takes over the cross-examination
Going back to the threatening messages sent to get Natacha Burger to stop the prayers, Marcel stated that she never saw these messages.
Cecilia, in her statement, denied that she told Marcel she (Marcel) had psychopathic demons, but Marcel only saw herself as a psychopath after Cecilia said that to her. She no longer sees herself as a psychopath. She changed her views during the trial when she realised Cecilia was not who she thought she was.
She was asked who gave the instructions on the fertiliser bombs, to which Marcel answered that she was instructed to help her mother with the bombs by helping her build them. She was instructed, mostly by Cecilia, to be on the lookout for cars at the place where the bombs were planted.
Marcel then stated that the major details of all the murders were planned by the group ahead of time. Cecilia gave a lot of input as to who the victims must be and how the murders must take place. All plans needed to be approved by Cecilia.
Marcel admits that she knew Burger from visits to Cecilia’s flat. When she was questioned about the first attempted murder, she said she had made up the story of the cat as she was wearing a wig and was in disguise. The Defence stated that Marcel is depicting her involvement as tacit, and that this is not the truth.
Marcel disagreed that Cecilia denied ever telling her that she (Cecilia) has powers and can read minds, but agreed that Cecilia denied that she had given Zak medicine to give to Mikeila.
She also denied that Cecilia denied that she gave instructions for her (Marcel) to turn on the heating blanket during this murder.
The Court then adjourned for a tea break.
The News’ journalist will continue reporting on the hearing as soon as it resumes.
