Johannesburg - The trial of a 16-year-old boy accused of the Griquatown family farm murders continues in the Kimberley High Court on Monday.
The boy stands accused of the murders of Northern Cape farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christel, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14. They were shot dead on the farm Naauwhoek on April 6, 2012.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Last week, Griquatown farmer Joachim Scholtz told the court he was at a family gathering on his farm when a businessman in town phoned to tell him about the murders.
Scholtz told the court he grabbed his cellphone and called first Deon Steenkamp's number and then Christel's - but both went unanswered.
He then took a torch and drove to the Naauwhoek farm, which was 22km from his farm, on the opposite side of Griquatown.
At the farm he asked policemen on the scene if there were any survivors, but they did not know.
After asking permission, he and a policeman entered the house to check whether there were survivors, and found Deon, Christel and Marthella, already dead.
Scholtz testified that security cameras yielded no evidence of the murders.
A camera erected between the Steenkamp farm and Griquatown was not active because it was being moved.
He said a local farm organisation had been in discussion with Deon Steenkamp about finding a place to install the camera near his farm.
Scholtz confirmed during cross-examination that he and three other people went to clean the house on Saturday, April 7, the day after the murders.
He said a blood-stained carpet, which was under Marthella's body, and Deon's green Jeep jacket, had been burned because of the amount of blood on them.
Scholtz said he checked with police investigators before destroying the two items. - Sapa