Missionary murder trial drags on
The trial of three men accused of murdering Dutch missionary Riet Vuyk (68) in 2012 has still not begun
NEARLY two years after Dutch missionary Riet Vuyk (68) was ruthlessly murdered and thrown into the valley of uBombo Mountains, the trial of the three accused has still not commenced.
Leonard Gina (45), Sandile Ngwenya (23) and Thokozani Mabika (30) appeared briefly at the Mtubatuba High Court last Monday but the case was remanded because an attorney for one of the accused was on sick leave.
With other cases reportedly taking preference in a backlogged high court, the trial is only set to begin on 12 May.
The men, who are being held at the Empangeni Old Prison, face charges of murder, housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping as well as being in possession of an unlicenced firearm.
They are accused of breaking into the Jan Vuyk Children’s Home in uBombo in March 2012, stealing possessions and Vuyk’s bakkie before strangling and fatally hitting her on the head with a hammer.
Vuyk’s body was kept overnight in a bush with both hands and legs tied before being dragged hundreds of metres in rough terrain the following day and thrown off a 60m cliff into the valley of uBombo Mountains.
With only the canopy of her motor vehicle taken, a lawn mower, angle grinder and laptop stolen, the community labelled the murder a revenge attack.
Vuyk had opened a case of assault against Gina just weeks prior her death.
Gina was a driver at the Jan Vuyk Children’s Home, an orphanage Vuyk had opened in 2005 in memory of her deceased husband.
Justice
Local community members are now calling for justice to be served upon the perpetrators speedily, adding that an additional charge of sexual assault has been omitted.
Police confirmed on Tuesday that a sexual assault charge would not be opened following results of the post mortem.
However, close friends told the Zululand Observer this week that shocking details of the murder had been ‘swept underneath the carpet’.
‘There is evidence to prove sexual assault. However, this has been ignored,’ said a community member.
‘This case is taking far too long and with her children living in Holland, there seems to be no urgency. The family needs closure.
‘Why is this case being delayed? No one is running the orphanage now and all the children have been removed.’
Before her death, Vuyk was contemplating closing the home and returning to the Netherlands after experiencing difficulties registering the cluster home with the Department of Social Development.
