Closing in on a Murderer – van Breda Murders – An Arrest Soon?

Three months ago, on 26th January 2015,  most people reading this had not heard of the van Breda family who lived across two continents. South African by birth and Afrikaans by culture, they had spent several years in Australia by choice. Returning to South Africa, they settled in the picturesque and exclusive riverside de Zalze Golf Estate near Stellenbosch.

Martin van Breda was hugely successful, amassing an estate worth R200 million. Living an international life of hard work and pleasure, he and his wife Teresa raised three children and from all external appearances, this was the picture perfect family.

de Zalze Golf Estate (Picture from Google Maps)

It seems that all was quiet on the home front on the morning of Monday 26th January. Twenty-four hours later, the house would be a crime scene.

The story of the van Breda murders has become well known. Parents Martin and Teresa and their oldest son Rudi were slain in a most brutal way. Completely unsuspecting any form of violence, they were viciously hacked to death at home by an ax-wielding psychopathic-like intruder who completely overpowered them all. Martin, Teresa and Rudi died on the scene. Marli, 16, was left for dead. Henri survived with no life threatening injuries and immediately became, in the eyes of the prying world, the chief suspect.

More and more media reports are speculating that Henri did it. This is nothing new. We all have suspected Henri since he was the only survivor and came away with no injuries apart from those said to have been self inflicted. He told the police he was knocked unconscious when the attacker threw the axe at him and that’s why he only phoned emergency services at 7am on Tuesday morning 27th January 2015.

There are things that have come out that don’t tie up with media reports. We were told a long time ago that the deaths occurred at about 3am on the 27th January. Yet the memorial sheet for the van Bredas said their date of death was 26th…

Picture by Mia Lindeque/EWN

That was significant. They wouldn’t put that date on the sheet if it wasn’t so. Something happened the night of the 26th January, while everyone was very much wide awake. Henri told police the attacker launched at Rudi first while he was in his bedroom. At the scuffle, Martin ran in to assist and was attacked next. After he was killed, the rampage continued on the balcony where Teresa and Marli were both found. Neighbours heard nothing. The night passed. At 7am the next morning, Henri was found sitting outside his house, toying with his cell phone, trying to get the emergency services.

Since then, no arrests have been made, but in the latest report, we are told they are imminent. Today, a report was released to say that police are keeping a close eye on Henri, who is now in Klerksdorp. Neither police nor Henri’s family are saying when he is not having any contact with Marli.  Eikestad Nuus, which is based in Stellenbosch, has been able to track down sources close to the case who have been prepared to give some information, albeit anonymously. Little snippets that have leaked point strongly to Henri being the perpetrator –

You don’t’ have to hand in your passport if you are not a suspect.  A report released over the last day or two said enough evidence has been collected to result in an arrest and charges that can be tried in court. It concludes an arrest is imminent.

But I still think there is more to this case than meets the eye. I’m not one to promote rumour, but I have heard stories that lead me to believe that when the case does come into public domain, it may just be more shocking than it already is.

This morning, I walked through  a  war graveyard. I will blog about that tomorrow, but it did remind me that life is but a breath and then it ends. The intensity of pain that we suffer through the loss of loved ones lessens with the passing of time. Some of the tombstone messages throb with grief, yet they are so old, that even those who penned the words have tombstones of their own. Because we trust in Jesus, who is God, we go to Him at the end.

1 Samuel 20:3b

“But truly as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death.” 

God bless you!’

In His Grip,

Helga xx