Massacre suspect sticks fork in witness’s ‘braai alibi’ claim

THE witness who testified in the Kareeboomvloer farm massacre trial this week about cellphone conversations he heard murder suspect ‘Shorty’ Erasmus have on the day his parents were killed at their farm was not even at Erasmus’s house on the day in question, Erasmus says.

Under cross-examination from Erasmus’s lawyer, Petrie Theron, in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday, State witness Sean Naudé heard from Theron that Erasmus denies that Naudé and his fiancée were at Erasmus’s house in Windhoek over the weekend of March 4 to 6 2005. Erasmus’s parents, Justus and Elzabé Erasmus, were murdered at their farm, Kareeboomvloer, between Rehoboth and Kalkrand on March 5 2005.Six other people who lived at the farm were also murdered there on that day and the previous day, the prosecution alleges in the trial in which Erasmus and three co-accused face 15 charges, including eight counts of murder.The prosecution alleges that Erasmus (30) contracted one of his co-accused, Sylvester Beukes (23), who had previously been employed by Erasmus’s parents, to kill the Erasmus couple.Beukes has admitted shooting dead all eight people who were killed at the farm.In a statement to a Police officer eight days after his arrest, Beukes claimed that Erasmus had recruited him to carry out a plan to murder not only Erasmus’s parents but also his sister.Erasmus is denying these claims.Naudé told Judge President Petrus Damaseb on Tuesday that on March 5 2005, after Erasmus had invited him and his then fiancée to a braai at Erasmus’s house, he overheard three cellphone conversations that Erasmus had that afternoon and evening.After the first conversation, Naudé said, Erasmus told him that there were problems with a worker at his parents’ farm, and that his parents would be driving to the farm and would be staying over at the farm that evening to deal with the problem.Erasmus also said that if his parents called him about the situation at the farm, he would be driving to the farm the next morning to join them there.Shortly after that, Erasmus had another cellphone conversation, which seemed to be more heated than the first, Naudé said.After that conversation, Erasmus made a remark to him about “f***ing farmworkers”, Naudé testified.After a third cellphone conversation, which took place around dusk, Erasmus told him that he had to leave to the farm at that stage already, because one of the former farmworkers had arrived at the farm drunk and was causing trouble.Previously in the trial, the Judge President heard testimony that Erasmus told a Police officer at Rehoboth in the early morning hours of March 6 2005, when he reported that he had found both his parents murdered upon his arrival at Kareeboomvloer, that he had decided to drive to the farm because he had tried to make several phone calls to the farm, but did not get any answer.Naudé also said – but quickly qualified this statement as being his opinion only – that he felt that the whole braai and him, his fiancée and other guests being invited to it had merely been to provide an alibi for Erasmus.Theron waited until the last stage of his cross-examination of Naudé before he told Naudé that his instructions from Erasmus were that the phone conversations that he testified about never took place, because Naudé was not at Erasmus’s house that day.”Well then your client is lying to you,” Naudé responded.By that stage of his testimony, Naudé had also told the Judge President that he had photographic evidence of his presence at Erasmus’s house that weekend, because his fiancée had taken photos of him in the kitchen of the house while he was washing dishes on the morning of March 6 2005.After a party that had been in progress at the house from the Friday evening to the Sunday morning, “that house was in a mess”, Naudé said.Theron also told Naudé that his instructions from Erasmus were that Naudé and his fiancée had not stayed over at Erasmus’s house on the evening of March 4 2005, and that they further were not at the barbecue at the house the next day.”I say it’s not true,” was Naudé’s response.The trial, in which Beukes’s brother, Gavin Beukes (26), and a friend of the brothers, Stoney Neidel (31), are also in the dock, is set to continue today.All four accused men pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges when the trial started on March 1 last year.Erasmus’s parents, Justus and Elzabé Erasmus, were murdered at their farm, Kareeboomvloer, between Rehoboth and Kalkrand on March 5 2005.Six other people who lived at the farm were also murdered there on that day and the previous day, the prosecution alleges in the trial in which Erasmus and three co-accused face 15 charges, including eight counts of murder.The prosecution alleges that Erasmus (30) contracted one of his co-accused, Sylvester Beukes (23), who had previously been employed by Erasmus’s parents, to kill the Erasmus couple.Beukes has admitted shooting dead all eight people who were killed at the farm.In a statement to a Police officer eight days after his arrest, Beukes claimed that Erasmus had recruited him to carry out a plan to murder not only Erasmus’s parents but also his sister.Erasmus is denying these claims.Naudé told Judge President Petrus Damaseb on Tuesday that on March 5 2005, after Erasmus had invited him and his then fiancée to a braai at Erasmus’s house, he overheard three cellphone conversations that Erasmus had that afternoon and evening.After the first conversation, Naudé said, Erasmus told him that there were problems with a worker at his parents’ farm, and that his parents would be driving to the farm and would be staying over at the farm that evening to deal with the problem.Erasmus also said that if his parents called him about the situation at the farm, he would be driving to the farm the next morning to join them there.Shortly after that, Erasmus had another cellphone conversation, which seemed to be more heated than the first, Naudé said.After that conversation, Erasmus made a remark to him about “f***ing farmworkers”, Naudé testified.After a third cellphone conversation, which took place around dusk, Erasmus told him that he had to leave to the farm at that stage already, because one of the former farmworkers had arrived at the farm drunk and was causing trouble.Previously in the trial, the Judge President heard testimony that Erasmus told a Police officer at Rehoboth in the early morning hours of March 6 2005, when he reported that he had found both his parents murdered upon his arrival at Kareeboomvloer, that he had decided to drive to the farm because he had tried to make several phone calls to the farm, but did not get any answer.Naudé also said – but quickly qualified this statement as being his opinion only – that he felt that the whole braai and him, his fiancée and other guests being invited to it had merely been to provide an alibi for Erasmus.Theron waited until the last stage of his cross-examination of Naudé before he told Naudé that his instructions from Erasmus were that the phone conversations that he testified about never took place, because Naudé was not at Erasmus’s house that day.”Well then your client is lying to you,” Naudé responded.By that stage of his testimony, Naudé had also told the Judge President that he had photographic evidence of his presence at Erasmus’s house that weekend, because his fiancée had taken photos of him in the kitchen of the house while he was washing dishes on the morning of March 6 2005.After a party that had been in progress at the house from the Friday evening to the Sunday morning, “that house was in a mess”, Naudé said.Theron also told Naudé that his instructions from Erasmus were that Naudé and his fiancée had not stayed over at Erasmus’s house on the evening of March 4 2005, and that they further were not at the barbecue at the house the next day.”I say it’s not true,” was Naudé’s response.The trial, in which Beukes’s brother, Gavin Beukes (26), and a friend of the brothers, Stoney Neidel (31), are also in the dock, is set to continue today.All four accused men pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges when the trial started on March 1 last year.