Ex-Police officer recounts massacre admissions

THE Kareeboomvloer farm massacre trial picked up again in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday where it had left off in early April last year – with testimony about a self-incriminating statement that one of the four men being accused in the trial had made to the Police.

Eleven months after the last evidence had been heard in the main part of the trial before Judge President Petrus Damaseb, the former Police officer who initially investigated the case has returned to the witness stand, from where he testified yesterday that one of the four men charged in the trial had told him that he killed eight people at the farm where the massacre took place three years ago. Former Police Inspector Kobie Theron also gave this testimony before the Judge President in early April last year.That was before a defence objection over statements made by two of the men facing charges in the trial, brothers Sylvester and Gavin Beukes, sidetracked the hearing into a trial within a trial that went on to keep the court occupied through early April and the last half of September and up to the end of October.A statement that Sylvester Beukes (23) made to Theron on March 8 2005 – two days after the brothers’ arrest, and three days after the deaths of the last of the eight people who were slain at Kareeboomvloer between Rehoboth and Kalkrand from March 4 to 5 2005 – was one of the pieces of evidence that Judge President ruled inadmissible when the trial within a trial was concluded on October 31 last year.With the defence lawyers involved in the trial yesterday questioning Theron on that statement, the document was admitted as an exhibit in the trial after all, on the request of lawyer Petrie Theron.Before accepting the statement as an exhibit, though, Judge President Damaseb indicated that because the statement had been ruled inadmissible, it could not be used for the purpose of proving the case against Beukes.It can however be used by Beukes’s co-accused to show that Beukes had made a statement that was exculpatory as far as their alleged involvement in the matter was concerned, he indicated.Lawyer Theron is representing Justus Christiaan (‘Shorty’) Erasmus (30), the son of the slain owners of farm Kareeboomvloer who is being prosecuted with the Beukes brothers and Rehoboth area resident Stoney Raymond Neidel (31), based on allegations that Erasmus had requested Sylvester Beukes to murder his parents.Erasmus was arrested and charged with the murder of his parents and six other people after Beukes had made a statement to the Police in which he claimed Erasmus had asked him to murder Erasmus’s parents.Importantly for Erasmus, though, Beukes made no mention of this when he first made a statement to former Police officer Theron – and it was this statement that Erasmus’s lawyer asked to be handed to the Judge President as an exhibit in the case.The former Inspector Theron testified that Beukes told him, outside the two brothers’ house at Rehoboth shortly after their arrest, that he had killed all eight people who lost their lives at the farm.Beukes also said that he shot some of the victims with a .38 Special revolver, and others with a .22 rifle, Theron said.Beukes’s defence lawyer, Titus Ipumbu, told Theron that his client would deny that he had told Theron at that stage that he had killed the eight people.Beukes made the same statement in court a few days later, Theron answered when Ipumbu told him this.Theron said on the same occasion at the brothers’ house, Gavin Beukes (26) told him that he did not kill anyone at the farm, but that he had held some of the people at gunpoint.Gavin Beukes is denying that he had ever said such a thing, his defence lawyer, Titus Mbaeva, told Theron yesterday.Theron still insisted that Beukes had said this to him.On March 8 2005, Theron said, Sylvester Beukes made what the Police refer to as a warning statement to him.Nowhere in that statement did Beukes mention the name of ‘Shorty’ Erasmus.He also did not mention anything about his brother helping him hold people at gunpoint at the farm, but nor did he mention anything about him holding his brother captive at the massacre scene, as has been claimed by Gavin Beukes.Sylvester Beukes stated, though, that he had told his brother that farm owner Justus Erasmus had asked him to go the farm to help him with work that had to be done on some cattle.Once they were at the farm, Beukes stated, he broke into the farmhouse, where he managed to break open a safe, in which he found a .38 Special revolver.While at the farm, he proceeded to first hold a younger man – possible the 18-year-old Deon Gertze – at gunpoint, and ended up tying him up, Beukes stated.The next morning, he told Theron, he did the same to an older man that they found at the farm – this was probably Settie Swartbooi (50) – and then forced Gertze to use a two-way radio to call farm foreman Sunnybooi Swartbooi (35) to the farmhouse, Beukes stated.Swartbooi was not available, though, and so his wife, Hilma Engelbrecht (32), arrived at the farmhouse with two children.He held them, too at gunpoint, Beukes stated.The pregnant Engelbrecht and her daughters, Christina Engelbrecht (6) and Regina Gertze (4), were also killed at the farm.At this point in the statement, said Theron, he realised that Beukes was actually making a confession to him.He asked Beukes if he did not want to rather make such a statement before a Magistrate, and when Beukes agreed to this, he stopped taking down the statement at that point, Theron said.He is set to continue with his testimony today.Former Police Inspector Kobie Theron also gave this testimony before the Judge President in early April last year.That was before a defence objection over statements made by two of the men facing charges in the trial, brothers Sylvester and Gavin Beukes, sidetracked the hearing into a trial within a trial that went on to keep the court occupied through early April and the last half of September and up to the end of October.A statement that Sylvester Beukes (23) made to Theron on March 8 2005 – two days after the brothers’ arrest, and three days after the deaths of the last of the eight people who were slain at Kareeboomvloer between Rehoboth and Kalkrand from March 4 to 5 2005 – was one of the pieces of evidence that Judge President ruled inadmissible when the trial within a trial was concluded on October 31 last year. With the defence lawyers involved in the trial yesterday questioning Theron on that statement, the document was admitted as an exhibit in the trial after all, on the request of lawyer Petrie Theron.Before accepting the statement as an exhibit, though, Judge President Damaseb indicated that because the statement had been ruled inadmissible, it could not be used for the purpose of proving the case against Beukes.It can however be used by Beukes’s co-accused to show that Beukes had made a statement that was exculpatory as far as their alleged involvement in the matter was concerned, he indicated.Lawyer Theron is representing Justus Christiaan (‘Shorty’) Erasmus (30), the son of the slain owners of farm Kareeboomvloer who is being prosecuted with the Beukes brothers and Rehoboth area resident Stoney Raymond Neidel (31), based on allegations that Erasmus had requested Sylvester Beukes to murder his parents.Erasmus was arrested and charged with the murder of his parents and six other people after Beukes had made a statement to the Police in which he claimed Erasmus had asked him to murder Erasmus’s parents.Importantly for Erasmus, though, Beukes made no mention of this when he first made a statement to former Police officer Theron – and it was this statement that Erasmus’s lawyer asked to be handed to the Judge President as an exhibit in the case.The former Inspector Theron testified that Beukes told him, outside the two brothers’ house at Rehoboth shortly after their arrest, that he had killed all eight people who lost their lives at the farm.Beukes also said that he shot some of the victims with a .38 Special revolver, and others with a .22 rifle, Theron said.Beukes’s defence lawyer, Titus Ipumbu, told Theron that his client would deny that he had told Theron at that stage that he had killed the eight people.Beukes made the same statement in court a few days later, Theron answered when Ipumbu told him this.Theron said on the same occasion at the brothers’ house, Gavin Beukes (26) told him that he did not kill anyone at the farm, but that he had held some of the people at gunpoint.Gavin Beukes is denying that he had ever said such a thing, his defence lawyer, Titus Mbaeva, told Theron yesterday.Theron still insisted that Beukes had said this to him.On March 8 2005, Theron said, Sylvester Beukes made what the Police refer to as a warning statement to him.Nowhere in that statement did Beukes mention the name of ‘Shorty’ Erasmus.He also did not mention anything about his brother helping him hold people at gunpoint at the farm, but nor did he mention anything about him holding his brother captive at the massacre scene, as has been claimed by Gavin Beukes.Sylvester Beukes stated, though, that he had told his brother that farm owner Justus Erasmus had asked him to go the farm to help him with work that had to be done on some cattle.Once they were at the farm, Beukes stated, he broke into the farmhouse, where he managed to break open a safe, in which he found a .38 Special revolver.While at the farm, he proceeded to first hold a younger man – possible the 18-year-old Deon Gertze – at gunpoint, and ended up tying him up, Beukes stated.The next morning, he told Theron, he did the same to an older man that they found at the farm – this was probably Settie Swartbooi (50) – and then forced Gertze to use a two-way radio to call farm foreman Sunnybooi Swartbooi (35) to the farmhouse, Beukes stated.Swartbooi was not available, though, and so his wife, Hilma Engelbrecht (32), arrived at the farmhouse with two children.He held them, too at gunpoint, Beukes stated.The pregnant Engelbrecht and her daughters, Christina Engelbrecht (6) and Regina Gertze (4), were also killed at the farm.At this point in the statement, said Theron, he realised that Beukes was actually making a confession to him.He asked Beukes if he did not want to rather make such a statement before a Magistrate, and when Beukes agreed to this, he stopped taking down the statement at that point, Theron said.He is set to continue with his testimony today.