Pretoria - The Brooklyn man accused of murdering his wife and disposing of her body in 2018 maintains that she is not dead and he will not rest until she is found.
This was the repeated defence by Prem Emmanuel Basdeo’s legal representative Piet Pistorius as the State brought three more witnesses to the stand in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Wednesday.
Basdeo, a former superintendent for the Sydenham SAPS, is on trial on charges of murder, perjury and defeating the ends of justice after his wife Dawn’s disappearance.
The State first submitted video footage from the Lyttelton Community Policing Forum, showing one of the couple’s vehicles emerging from a field around Van Ryneveld, Centurion, area at odd hours.
This was days before notice was sent out regarding 57-year-old Dawn’s disappearance.
This was followed by testimony from Diane Naicker, Dawn’s eldest daughter, who testified about her last interactions with her mother in the days before the family eventually reported her missing on June 8, 2018.
Naicker also confirmed her younger sister Denise Stravelli Bramdau’s account of having found it strange that their mother left her home without taking her handbag, prescription glasses or wallet.
“When we asked Prem how come mom had left without her handbag he told us she had taken a smaller bag with one credit card and R2000 in cash. He told us the rest of her bank cards he had kept for her.”
Basdeo was said to have been in possession of Dawn’s cellphone which he indicated she had also left at home.
Despite this, Pistorius continued to question witnesses about their knowledge of Dawn’s difficulties with severe mental illness and, more worryingly, information of her enquiring about her insurance policies.
Pistorius said that according to Basdeo, his wife was often depressed, suffered anxiety and had suicidal bouts throughout their 15-year marriage.
Last to testify was Sergeant Nthuseni Mudzanani, the investigating officer from the Brooklyn SAPS, who told the court Basdeo, of his own free will, went to the police station the day after the vehicle was recovered in Soweto two days after Dawn was reported missing.
Mudzanani said Basdeo volunteered to give police further information about his wife’s disappearance.
The trial continues on Wednesday.