Cape Town - Heinrich Africa has been found guilty in the Western Cape High Court of the murders of Robert and Shaurina de Wet of Belhar, who were shot dead in their home in 2015.
Afrika shot and killed the De Wets on August 13, 2015. He was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, along with malicious damage to property for shooting the couple’s dogs.
It was the State’s case that the murder was premeditated.
Judge Elizabeth Baartman said the State proved that the murder was planned. The two witnesses who testified that Shaurina identified the attacker were credible witnesses, she said, and the court accepted her dying declaration as evidence.
During the trial, Lorenso Petersen identified Afrika as the perpetrator even though he had been wearing a scarf around his mouth. Petersen was at the De Wets’ home on the evening of the murder and recognised him when he approached the couple on the veranda.
When he arrived, he was reprimanded by Robert for wearing a scarf. Afrika was known to the family and frequented their home.
Without provocation, he took out a firearm and shot at Robert. When Shaurina tried to grab him, the accused responded by shooting her.
Robert died at the scene due to multiple gunshot wounds after he was shot in the chest, face, neck and left arm, while Shaurina died in hospital due to gunshot wounds to the neck and back.
“I find that the accused was the person who shot the couple and their dogs,” Judge Baartman said.
The judge noted that Afrika and the witnesses who testified on his behalf were “poor witnesses” and that his girlfriend, Nathalie Davids, adapted her version to favour him.
“The accused was dishonest and in light of the totality of the evidence his version is rejected as not reasonably or possibly true,” Judge Baartman said.
Adiel de Wet testified that his mother, as she died, identified the shooter and told him that it was the accused.
Visibly shaken, De Wet said outside court: “Those were two angels and my mother made a big statement when she said it was him, because she saw him, we all saw him but we couldn’t do anything. All I can say is that I saw him shooting our dogs, he is the shooter, there wasn’t another shooter.
“I loved my parents, they were everything to us. We haven’t even really processed their death because of fear. We’ve already lost everything,” De Wet said.
The State was represented by advocate Christhenus van der Vijver, while Afrika was represented by advocate Nawaal Abdurahman. Sentencing will be argued in court on Monday.