Massacre victims’ son to plead this week

THE son of slain farm owners Justus and Elzabé Erasmus, who were killed in Namibia’s largest massacre since Independence, heard on Friday that he will have to plead to charges of murdering his parents and six other people when he appears in court appearance on Thursday.

Justus Christiaan (‘Shorty’) Erasmus (27) has been charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the slaying on March 5 of his parents and six people who lived at their farm, Kareeboomkolk, in the Kalkrand area. The case was postponed to Thursday when Erasmus and his two co-accused made their latest appearance in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on Friday.Erasmus will be asked to plead to the charges when he returns to court on Thursday.He has already indicated that he denies any complicity in the killing of his parents and the other people who were murdered at their farm.Erasmus was arrested 10 days after the massacre at Kareeboomkolk after a former employee at the farm, Sylvester Beukes (20), claimed to the Police that Erasmus had contracted him to murder the Erasmus couple, allegedly in return for a promised payment of some N$50 000 from the proceeds of life insurance policy payouts.Beukes and his brother, Gavin Beukes (24), were arrested a day after the killings.When they were asked to plead to the charges at their first appearance in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court, Sylvester Beukes made a detailed admission of guilt.He told the court that he had killed the couple out of revenge, since he had felt that the late Justus Erasmus had treated him unfairly while he was employed by Erasmus.He killed the other six people who were living at the farm because he did not want to leave any witnesses, Beukes related in his plea.The other victims of the massacre were farmworkers Settie Swartbooi, his brother Sonnyboy Swartbooi, the latter’s pregnant wife, Hilma Engelbrecht, her children, Christina Engelbrecht and Regina Gertze, and a nephew of Engelbrecht, Deon Gertze.All eight victims were shot dead, according to Beukes with a firearm that he stole from the farmstead when he broke into the house on the day of the killings.’Shorty’ Erasmus has been free on bail of N$20 000 since March 22.The Beukes brothers have remained in Police custody since their arrest.The case was postponed to Thursday when Erasmus and his two co-accused made their latest appearance in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on Friday.Erasmus will be asked to plead to the charges when he returns to court on Thursday.He has already indicated that he denies any complicity in the killing of his parents and the other people who were murdered at their farm.Erasmus was arrested 10 days after the massacre at Kareeboomkolk after a former employee at the farm, Sylvester Beukes (20), claimed to the Police that Erasmus had contracted him to murder the Erasmus couple, allegedly in return for a promised payment of some N$50 000 from the proceeds of life insurance policy payouts.Beukes and his brother, Gavin Beukes (24), were arrested a day after the killings.When they were asked to plead to the charges at their first appearance in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court, Sylvester Beukes made a detailed admission of guilt.He told the court that he had killed the couple out of revenge, since he had felt that the late Justus Erasmus had treated him unfairly while he was employed by Erasmus.He killed the other six people who were living at the farm because he did not want to leave any witnesses, Beukes related in his plea.The other victims of the massacre were farmworkers Settie Swartbooi, his brother Sonnyboy Swartbooi, the latter’s pregnant wife, Hilma Engelbrecht, her children, Christina Engelbrecht and Regina Gertze, and a nephew of Engelbrecht, Deon Gertze.All eight victims were shot dead, according to Beukes with a firearm that he stole from the farmstead when he broke into the house on the day of the killings.’Shorty’ Erasmus has been free on bail of N$20 000 since March 22.The Beukes brothers have remained in Police custody since their arrest.