Cape Town - The Henri Van Breda trial was postponed until Tuesday after the blood spatter analyst Captain Marius Joubert unexpectedly took ill.
Joubert was expected to testify in the Western Cape High Court on Monday, but instead will take to the stand the following week.
State Advocate Susan Galloway told Judge Siraj Desai that the witness had informed the State about his inability to testify.
However Galloway did reveal that other witnesses have been arranged for Tuesday, resulting in the postponement of proceedings.
The court heard last week Monday when Chief forensic analyst at the police's forensic laboratory, Lieutenant-Colonel Sharlene Otto testified that the 3 DNA profiles that were found in the corner of shower belonging to Rudi, Henri and their mother Teresa.
However, during cross-examination on Friday, Otto revealed that in instances of a mixed result, since Rudi and Henri share 50% of their DNA with their mother, Otto couldn’t unequivocally state that the DNA just belonged to two or three people.
Just because three profiles matched the sample that was tested, it didn’t mean that three people were necessarily there.
Earlier last week State lawyer Susan Galloway had tried to ascertain if someone could enter the environment, and not leave evidence, to which defence advocate Pieter Botha objected, stating that it was inviting the witness to speculate.
Galloway then allowed Otto to explain the "locard principle” which states that "every touch leaves a trace".
During cross-examination, Otto had said that if someone was wearing protective gear, it was then possible for them to not necessarily leave a trace.
“If a person is wearing a balaclava and gloves, with normal clothes, I wouldn’t expect them to leave DNA,” said Otto. She explained this was because the face and hands often shed a lot of DNA naturally.
Henri Van Breda stands accused of the murder of his brother, Rudi, his father Martin, and his mother Teresa. His also faces a charge of attempted murder of his sister, Marli.