Pretoria - Lawyers for murder accused Johannes van Wyk are preparing to start his formal bail application as he stands accused of murdering Anika Smit in 2010.
Van Wyk made a brief appearance in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning, where his case was postponed for formal bail application.
“It is standard procedure to postpone for formal bail application. We need to prepare an affidavit in support of his bail application in terms of Section 60 of the Criminal Procedure Act,” said Van Wyk’s instructing attorney Latham Dixon.
Dixon said the State also needed to prepare its case and would probably speak to the investigating officer in the case. He said they had no indication if the State would oppose the bail application.
When he arrived in court, the 24-year-old was wearing a light brown suit matched with a dark brown tie.
As he walked into the courtroom from the holding cells, he greeted family members seated in the public gallery. After his brief appearance, he told his relatives he would see them again in two weeks. He left carrying what looked like baked goods given to him by the relatives.
Van Wyk handed himself over to police on September 16 last year, saying he had information about Anika’s murder.
Anika was 17 at the time of her murder and in Grade 11 at Gerrit Maritz High School.
She did not attend school on the day she was killed due to an ear infection.
She was found by her father in his Theresa Park home, north of Pretoria, with her throat slit. She was sexually assaulted, her body riddled with stab wounds and her hands were cut off. The hands have never been found.
Before Van Wyk was arrested there was a lengthy inquest into her murder to determine if anyone could be prosecuted for her death.
Her former boyfriend and her father were suspects at one point.
The State said the case would eventually be transferred to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.
The bail application is set to begin on January 31.
During his last court appearance last month he was declared fit to stand trial after a 50-day psychiatric evaluation at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital.
The psychiatric report showed that Van Wyk was capable of understanding court proceedings and could contribute meaningfully to his own defence.
The report also stated that at the time of the alleged crime, he did not suffer from any mental disorder or defect that anything would have affected his ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
His defence team had previously stated they did not want to bring a bail application, but would reconsider once DNA evidence became available.