Pretoria - A man from Kameeldrift, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to murdering his former wife, by driving over her twice with his tow-truck.
Nico Horn declined to divulge his defence to the high court in Pretoria and said through his advocate that it would be known later during the trial.
The 59-year-old disputed all the allegations in the case, other than that the woman who died on March 13 last year on the plot where he and others lived, was Susan Horn, his former wife.
He even refused to admit that she died of multiple injuries, which was cited as the cause of death on the indictment against him.
According to the State, there was a history of domestic violence between the couple.
They divorced in 2012, but lived together as man and wife.
The couple allegedly argued on the afternoon of the incident and Horn wanted to leave the premises in his tow-truck.
His wife tried to close the gate which he had opened and he got out of the truck and grabbed her by the neck.
Neighbours tried to intervene, but Horn got back into his truck and allegedly drove through the half open gate, hitting his wife. It is alleged that when she fell to the ground, he drove over her for a second time, before driving off.
The woman died on the scene.
Neighbours said the couple had been fighting the entire morning and their mentally challenged son had sought refuge with the neighbours, as he did in the past when his parents were fighting.
The son was previously in an institution for the mentally disabled, but his parents had fetched him to stay with them.
Heila Hugo, who lived a stone’s throw from the Horns on the same plot, said it was a housing scheme for the underprivileged. They lived in make-shift houses and in caravans.
She testified that the couple returned from the shops at about 3pm on the day of the incident and she heard them argue.
Hugo went outside to see what was happening and she heard the accused tell the his ex-wife he was leaving, as he had to go and work.
According to her, Susan tried to close the gate her husband had opened, when he drove over her.
The case continues.
Pretoria News