Johannesburg - The family of murdered teenager Louise de Waal said they were very angry that the court postponed the trial of her alleged killer because he was feeling ill.
Johannes Steyn appeared briefly in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Thursday as his trial as the alleged “Sunday rapist” continued.
He is charged with 37 crimes, including the murders of Louise and another teenager, Lazanne Farmer. He also faces charges of rape, sexual assault and the kidnapping of girls between the ages of 11 and 18. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Steyn’s advocate, Anton Lerm, said his client he had joint pains, a headache, neckache and blisters on his lips.
He asked Judge Sita Kolbe to postpone the matter. Judge Kolbe allowed this and ordered that a doctor examine Steyn to ensure that he would be ready by Monday.
Speaking outside the court, Louise’s mother, Shireen de Waal, said she was “very angry at the moment”.
“He could take my daughter without a care and now he has the sniffles so he can’t [stand trial],” said De Waal. She said she found it difficult to sit in the same room as Steyn.
Judge Kolbe said the postponement would give the State more time to find the doctor who examined and wrote a medical report on one of the victims.
The State has been unable to locate this doctor, who wrote the report on the 16-year-old victim at a community centre in Vanderbijlpark.
If the doctor was found in time, he could testify on Monday before Steyn and the defence stated their case, the judge said.
The Star