Cape Town - The nephew of slain magistrate Romay van Rooyen, Cassidy Hartzenberg, abandoned his bail application in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Hartzenberg, 18, is accused of the murder of his aunt who was found dead in her Marina da Gama home on September 10 when her family noticed that something was amiss when she didn’t answer her cellphone.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Hartzenberg was expected to apply for bail on Thursday morning but instead he abandoned the application.
“He is charged with the murder of magistrate Romay van Rooyen, as well as the theft of her vehicle and money.
“He abandoned his bail application and the case was postponed to November 8, 2022, for further investigation.
“If he changes his mind and decides to apply for bail, the State will oppose that bail application. He remains in custody until his next appearance,” said Ntabazalila.
Ntabazalila said the State alleges that Hartzenberg strangled Van Rooyen and then stole her vehicle and an unknown amount of cash.
Her stolen vehicle was recovered in Highlands Road, Mitchells Plain.
Hartzenberg – nabbed in a multi-disciplinary operation comprising the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State, National Priority Violent Crime Investigation, Digital Forensic Investigation and Priority Crime Management Centre – had attended his aunt’s funeral prior to his arrest and was one of the pallbearers.
According to Van Rooyen’s brother, Taswell van Heerden, they became worried when their sibling – who travelled home at weekends from her Langebaan residence – wasn’t answering her phone.
Van Rooyen’s younger brother went to his sister’s home on Saturday after making arrangements for her to pick her nephew up.
“They kept calling and it went straight to voicemail and this was odd.
They came to the house with her spare key as they looked after her home while she was in Vredenburg during the week.
Her cellphone was on the floor and everything was still intact but she was lying flat on her back,” Van Rooyen said.
Cape Times