Cape Town - Godfrey Jantjies was given the opportunity to testify when he took the stand in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday on charges of child abuse and murder before Judge Vincent Saldanha.
Jantjies, 31, has been charged with the murder and abuse of 3-year-old Robyn Lee Gertse, who died on the morning of May 24, 2015 in Moorreesburg. The State has alleged that Jantjies killed Gertse by assaulting her and inflicting blunt force trauma.
During his testimony, Jantjies was questioned by his legal counsel, advocate Omar Arend, on whether he committed the crimes he has been accused of, to which he responded: “I never lifted a hand to her.”
At the time, Jantjies was in a relationship with Ashleen Smit, the mother of the victim. He said that on the night that Robyn Lee died, her mother was attending a party and he was looking after her when a few of his friends visited.
Her mother later returned and he informed her that the child was weak and feverish. Robyn Lee fell asleep and they both checked on her throughout the night. Eventually he noticed that she had started turning blue and couldn’t breathe.
In his version of events, he went to the neighbours for help, screaming for them to call an ambulance. He then came back, took her into his arms and ran to the neighbours, jumping the fence.
At the neighbour’s house he placed her body on the floor and attempted to assist Robyn Lee by trying to perform CPR, but by that time it was too late and the little girl had died.
The State’s case is that Jantjies had inflicted a pattern of abuse against Robyn Lee in the days leading to her death. Her body was found bruised and battered with a fractured jaw, and bruises on her head, around her eye and on her chest.
According to the emergency services respondent who was on the scene, the child died of unnatural causes – due to blunt force trauma.
Jantjies said that he wasn’t aware of any of these injuries on her body, except that the child told him that she knocked her head on the bed. He also admitted to smoking “tik” on the day he was looking after her.
State prosecutor advocate Leon Snyman put it to the witness that Jantjies hit Robyn Lee with a kettle, which resulted in her having a blue eye.
He asked why Jantjies told Smit to lie to her family about the incident… Jantjies said he told her to lie, because her family member had a vendetta against him.
It was also said there was an incident described by another witness where Jantjies had allegedly taken his stress out on Robyn Lee, and hit her.
The witness didn’t see this, but could hear her crying from another room.
Jantjies said that the witness had it in for him, because he had a relationship with his girlfriend.
The trial is set to continue today.