It WAS me, admits massacre suspect

FIVE weeks after the start of his trial in the High Court in Windhoek, farm massacre suspect Sylvester Beukes yesterday formally admitted that he had shot dead eight people at the Mariental district farm Kareeboomvloer two years ago.

With the admission from Beukes that was relayed to Judge President Petrus Damaseb, the first cracks may have started appearing in the plea of not guilty that Beukes entered on all 15 charges, including eight counts of murder, on March 1 at the start of his and three co-suspects’ trial. The admissions from Beukes were placed on record on the day that the Judge President Damaseb for the first time heard testimony about claims that Beukes had made about the alleged role that one of his co-accused, Justus Christiaan (‘Shorty’) Erasmus, had supposedly played in hatching a plot to have Erasmus’s parents murdered.Erasmus’s parents, Justus Christiaan (‘Rassie) Erasmus and Elzabé Erasmus, were the owners of Kareeboomvloer.They were two of the eight people who were killed at the farm on March 4 to 5 2005.In the indictment against Erasmus Jnr (29), Beukes (22), the latter’s brother, Gavin Beukes (25), and Rehoboth resident Stoney Neidel (30), it is alleged that Erasmus Jnr had first conspired with Sylvester Beukes during 2003 to murder Erasmus’s parents and his sister, Yolande Erasmus.That plan, it is alleged, was ultimately executed in early 2005, resulting in the murder of eight people at Kareeboomvloer during the first weekend of March.Former Police Chief Inspector Kobie Theron, who played a leading role in the investigation of the killings, was telling Judge President Damaseb yesterday about statements that he said Sylvester Beukes had made to him after the latter’s arrest when defence counsel Winnie Christians raised an objection about the admissibility of a part of Theron’s evidence.Christians told the court that because Beukes was assaulted by Police officers at the time of his arrest, he would be disputing the admissibility of statements that Beukes is claimed to have made from the time of his arrest until he and his brother made a first appearance in court on March 9 2005.The Judge President gave Christians a short adjournment to consult his clients on that point.When the court session resumed, Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef informed the Judge President that Beukes would be making a number of admissions.Christians confirmed this.The Judge President was told that Beukes was admitting that he killed eight people at Kareeboomvloer.Beukes is also admitting that he shot five of the people – Hilma Engelbrecht, who was 32 years old and seven to eight months pregnant at the time, Engelbrecht’s brother-in-law, Settie Swartbooi (50), her nephew, Deon Gertze (18), and Engelbrecht’s daughters, Regina Gertze (4) and Christina Engelbrecht (6) – with a .38 special revolver, the court was told.The Judge President was further informed that Beukes was admitting that another of the people killed at the farm, Sunnybooi Swartbooi (35), had been tied up before the Erasmus couple arrived at the farm on the afternoon of March 5 2005.After the couple had also been shot, Swartbooi was untied and helped Beukes load a range of goods that he took from the farm onto a vehicle and a trailer that were used to transport the goods.After completing that last task, Swartbooi was taken back into the farmhouse, again tied up, and shot with a .22 rifle, Beukes is further admitting.The firearms that were used are two of the firearms that are before court as exhibits in the trial, it is also admitted, the court was told.As he continued with his testimony after the admissions were placed on record, Theron’s evidence moved on to a statement that he said Beukes had made to him on March 14 2005.That was eight days after the Beukes brothers’ arrest.Theron said he went to see Beukes in Hardap Prison near Mariental that day.Beukes told him that he had been hired by the son of the Erasmus couple, ‘Shorty’ Erasmus, to kill the couple, and that he wanted to lay a charge against Erasmus Jnr.According to Theron he told Beukes that he was making a very serious allegation, that he had to be careful about what he was saying, and that he would gain nothing by implicating someone else in the matter he was charged in.Beukes’s reply was that he was telling the truth, Theron said.Theron continued that he called a Police Sergeant who was not involved in the investigation of the case and asked her to talk to Beukes and to repeat, in Beukes’s mother tongue, Nama, the advice that he had already given him.After she had done so, she reported back to him that Beukes wanted to make a statement to the Police.He later took this statement to the Control Public Prosecutor stationed at Mariental, and after she had read the document, she decided to apply for a warrant for Erasmus Jnr’s arrest, Theron related.Erasmus Jnr was subsequently arrested in Windhoek.A week after his arrest, Theron said, he again spoke to Sylvester Beukes.Beukes told him that he had started working for the Erasmus couple as a carpenter in April 2003.During September that year, Beukes said, he was at the couple’s house in Windhoek when he heard Mr Erasmus tell his wife that he wanted to change his will so that the couple’s daughter would be their sole heir, Theron said.Erasmus Jnr was also at the house, and he overheard this, got angry and stormed out of the house, Beukes told him, according to Theron.The day after that happened, Erasmus Jnr asked Beukes to accompany him to the Erasmuses’ farm, Theron said he was told by Beukes.At the farm, Beukes claimed, Erasmus Jnr said to Beukes that he wanted to make a plan about the issue that they had heard Mr Erasmus speaking about the day before, Theron said.Erasmus Jnr wanted eliminate his parents and his sister, and he asked Beukes to help him kill his family, Beukes claimed according to Theron.Beukes said he told Erasmus Jnr he would think about it.Beukes told Theron that towards the end of December 2004, after Beukes had been released on bail on a stock theft charge that Mr Erasmus had laid against him, he again met Erasmus Jnr in Windhoek, Theron testified.”I’m in shit because of my father,” Erasmus Jnr remarked to Beukes on that occasion, when he also asked him if he was willing to carry out the plan that had been mentioned earlier, Theron said he was told by Beukes.The two men again met in Windhoek at the end of January 2005, and on that occasion, Erasmus Jnr handed a .38 special revolver, ammunition and a firearm licence to Beukes, Theron said Beukes told him.Beukes also claimed that Erasmus Jnr told him he – Erasmus Jnr – would see to it that he would be the first person to arrive at the crime scene, that he would pay Beukes N$50 000 for the job, and that Beukes could take whatever he wanted from the farm after he had completed his task, Theron testified.Theron is set to continue with his testimony for a third day today.The admissions from Beukes were placed on record on the day that the Judge President Damaseb for the first time heard testimony about claims that Beukes had made about the alleged role that one of his co-accused, Justus Christiaan (‘Shorty’) Erasmus, had supposedly played in hatching a plot to have Erasmus’s parents murdered.Erasmus’s parents, Justus Christiaan (‘Rassie) Erasmus and Elzabé Erasmus, were the owners of Kareeboomvloer.They were two of the eight people who were killed at the farm on March 4 to 5 2005. In the indictment against Erasmus Jnr (29), Beukes (22), the latter’s brother, Gavin Beukes (25), and Rehoboth resident Stoney Neidel (30), it is alleged that Erasmus Jnr had first conspired with Sylvester Beukes during 2003 to murder Erasmus’s parents and his sister, Yolande Erasmus.That plan, it is alleged, was ultimately executed in early 2005, resulting in the murder of eight people at Kareeboomvloer during the first weekend of March.Former Police Chief Inspector Kobie Theron, who played a leading role in the investigation of the killings, was telling Judge President Damaseb yesterday about statements that he said Sylvester Beukes had made to him after the latter’s arrest when defence counsel Winnie Christians raised an objection about the admissibility of a part of Theron’s evidence.Christians told the court that because Beukes was assaulted by Police officers at the time of his arrest, he would be disputing the admissibility of statements that Beukes is claimed to have made from the time of his arrest until he and his brother made a first appearance in court on March 9 2005.The Judge President gave Christians a short adjournment to consult his clients on that point.When the court session resumed, Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef informed the Judge President that Beukes would be making a number of admissions.Christians confirmed this.The Judge President was told that Beukes was admitting that he killed eight people at Kareeboomvloer.Beukes is also admitting that he shot five of the people – Hilma Engelbrecht, who was 32 years old and seven to eight months pregnant at the time, Engelbrecht’s brother-in-law, Settie Swartbooi (50), her nephew, Deon Gertze (18), and Engelbrecht’s daughters, Regina Gertze (4) and Christina Engelbrecht (6) – with a .38 special revolver, the court was told.The Judge President was further informed that Beukes was admitting that another of the people killed at the farm, Sunnybooi Swartbooi (35), had been tied up before the Erasmus couple arrived at the farm on the afternoon of March 5 2005.After the couple had also been shot, Swartbooi was untied and helped Beukes load a range of goods that he took from the farm onto a vehicle and a trailer that were used to transport the goods.After completing that last task, Swartbooi was taken back into the farmhouse, again tied up, and shot with a .22 rifle, Beukes is further admitting.The firearms that were used are two of the firearms that are before court as exhibits in the trial, it is also admitted, the court was told.As he continued with his testimony after the admissions were placed on record, Theron’s evidence moved on to a statement that he said Beukes had made to him on March 14 2005.That was eight days after the Beukes brothers’ arrest.Theron said he went to see Beukes in Hardap Prison near Mariental that day.Beukes told him that he had been hired by the son of the Erasmus couple, ‘Shorty’ Erasmus, to kill the couple, and that he wanted to lay a charge against Erasmus Jnr.According to Theron he told Beukes that he was making a very serious allegation, that he had to be careful about what he was saying, and that he would gain nothing by implicating someone else in the matter he was charged in.Beukes’s reply was that he was telling the truth, Theron said.Theron continued that he called a Police Sergeant who was not involved in the investigation of the case and asked her to talk to Beukes and to repeat, in Beukes’s mother tongue, Nama, the advice that he had already given him.After she had done so, she reported back to him that Beukes wanted to make a statement to the Police.He later took this statement to the Control Public Prosecutor stationed at Mariental, and after she had read the document, she decided to apply for a warrant for Erasmus Jnr’s arrest, Theron related.Erasmus Jnr was subsequently arrested in Windhoek.A week after his arrest, Theron said, he again spoke to Sylvester Beukes.Beukes told him that he had started working for the Erasmus couple as a carpenter in April 2003.During September that year, Beukes said, he was at the couple’s house in Windhoek when he heard Mr Erasmus tell his wife that he wanted to change his will so that the couple’s daughter would be their sole heir, Theron said.Erasmus Jnr was also at the house, and he overheard this, got angry and stormed out of the house, Beukes told him, according to Theron.The day after that happened, Erasmus Jnr asked Beukes to accompany him to the Erasmuses’ farm, Theron said he was told by Beukes.At the farm, Beukes claimed, Erasmus Jnr said to Beukes that he wanted to make a plan about the issue that they had heard Mr Erasmus speaking about the day before, Theron said.Erasmus Jnr wanted eliminate his parents and his sister, and he asked Beukes to help him kill his family, Beukes claimed according to Theron.Beukes said he told Erasmus Jnr he would think about it.Beukes told Theron that towards the end of December 2004, after Beukes had been released on bail on a stock theft charge that Mr Erasmus had laid against him, he again met Erasmus Jnr in Windhoek, Theron testified.”I’m in shit because of my father,” Erasmus Jnr remarked to Beukes on that occasion, when he also asked him if he was willing to carry out the plan that had been mentioned earlier, Theron said he was told by Beukes.The two men again met in Windhoek at the end of January 2005, and on that occasion, Erasmus Jnr handed a .38 special revolver, ammunition and a firearm licence to Beukes, Theron said Beukes told him.Beukes also claimed that Erasmus Jnr told him he – Erasmus Jnr – would see to it that he would be the first person to arrive at the crime scene, that he would pay Beukes N$50 000 for the job, and that Beukes could take whatever he wanted from the farm after he had completed his task, Theron testified.Theron is set to continue with his testimony for a third day today.