Cape Town - An Athlone family say they have learnt with shock of the withdrawal of a murder case by the Athlone Magistrate’s Court – after the suspect handed himself over to police.
On Monday, 31-year-old Bassier van der Schyff was brutally stabbed 17 times while at his home in Seal Street, Athlone, allegedly by his friend whom the family said they had housed for months.
During the incident, Van der Schyff was with another two friends whom the family said watched helplessly as the first friend stabbed him.
Van der Schyff succumbed to his injuries in his mother’s arms.
Although the family didn’t want to dwell on the circumstances surrounding the incident, his sister Miriam Abrahams said that after the suspect handed himself over to the police on Monday, her mother was called to the police station to identify the killer, who was subsequently arrested.
However, she said they had the shock of their lives the following day while attending the Athlone Magistrate’s Court when they saw on the court roll that the case had been withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.
“How is it possible that the man who murdered my brother in my house, handed himself to the police station voluntarily – and my mother was called to identify him – does not appear before the magistrate but walks home from custody as if nothing happened?” she said.
Another sister, Amierah, said when they saw the docket on Wednesday, “everything was gone”. The only thing on the docket was a statement from her mother. This, she said, was despite the police spending more than five hours combing the scene and taking pictures.
“We would at least understand if he had been granted bail, but he never appeared before the magistrate.
“What evidence are they looking for that they would say there is none? This man needs to be put behind bars. They let him go knowing that he doesn’t have a stable physical address and that he is a flight risk.
“What if he comes back to the house and murders my mother who is a witness? We want the Athlone police station and the Magistrate’s Court to be investigated. The family want justice; he can’t be walking freely after robbing us of a son and a father to two kids,” Amierah said.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said circumstances surrounding the fatal stabbing incident were under investigation.
Van Wyk said the Athlone police station was awaiting the docket from the court for further instructions.