Van Breda axe murder trial to be live streamed?

Triple murder accused Henri van Breda's trial kicks off at the Western Cape High Court this week. File picture: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Media

Triple murder accused Henri van Breda's trial kicks off at the Western Cape High Court this week. File picture: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Media

Published Mar 26, 2017

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Cape Town - The Western Cape High Court is expected to be a hive of activity when the trial of triple axe-murder accused Henri van Breda begins on Monday.

On Friday, several journalists and media organisations made applications to broadcast inside the courtroom to Judge Siraj Desai, who will preside over proceedings.

Van Breda stands accused of the murder of his father Martin, his mother Theresa and his older brother Rudi. His sister Marli was injured in the attack. Van Breda is accused of her attempted murder as well as defeating the ends of justice.

The trial is expected to be filled with intrigue as details of how the wealthy family were killed in the luxury De Zalze Estate outside Stellenbosch in January 2015 are revealed.

Van Breda first told police that his family was attacked by an axe-wielding intruder.

But more than a year after the killings, the 22-year-old - although having previously claimed to be a victim, too - handed himself over to police. He is currently out on

R100 000 bail.

Marli reportedly had her neck slashed during the attack but is understood to have recovered and has returned to school. Her testimony and those of other witnesses are expected to be key in the case against her brother.

In previous pre-trial hearings, the State indicated it was ready for trial but the defence needed to finalise its expert analysis of the evidence against the accused.

If the permission to broadcast the trial from inside the courtroom is granted, it will be one of a few proceedings in South Africa to have been aired - the likes of the murder case of Olympian Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide but his conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal, which found him guilty of murder.

The recent judgement of renowned artist Zwelethu Mthethwa also saw cameras inside the courtroom, but not during proceedings. Mthethwa was found guilty of killing sexworker Nokuphila Kumalo.

In a different matter, Van Breda and his girlfriend are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates Court on April 11 on charges of drug possession. He is out on R1 000 bail for this charge.

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Weekend Argus

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