The double murder case of Nadine Terblanche and her son Ruandré Vorster has once again been postponed due to ongoing delays in obtaining a placement in the psychiatric unit for one of the accused.

On October 28, the matter against Frederick “Freddie” Stapelberg was again postponed at the Johannesburg High Court sitting at Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court (Court 13).

The accused remains number 92 on the waiting list for admission to a mental health institution for evaluation.

On August 1, the case was postponed for the same reason when Stapelberg was listed as number 128.

Despite repeated assurances from State prosecutor Riana Williams earlier this year, including an undertaking in May that the institution would be urged to prioritise the case due to its high court status, progress has been minimal.

The persistent delays mean that the case, which has already stretched across months of postponements, may soon enter its second year without resolution.

The murders occurred on November 27, 2023, when Nadine and her young son were brutally killed at their Alberton home.

Dramatic twist earlier this year

The State’s case took a dramatic turn on February 18, when co-accused Pardon Danhire, a Zimbabwean national, pleaded guilty to both murders.

He entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State in terms of Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act, a process intended to expedite proceedings and conserve State resources.

Danhire admitted that Stapelberg, Nadine’s boyfriend at the time, offered him R100 000 to carry out the killings.
In his confession, Danhire detailed how he attacked Nadine with an axe and suffocated Ruandré with a pillow before returning to ensure Nadine was dead.

He received 25 years’ imprisonment for one count of premeditated murder and another 25 years, suspended for five, for the second count. His sentences are to run concurrently.

Danhire has since agreed to turn State witness in the case against Stapelberg.

Separate trials and continued delays

As the alleged mastermind, Stapelberg, faces four charges – two of premeditated murder and two of attempted murder – and has pleaded not guilty. His case was separated from Danhire’s earlier this year.

However, ongoing delays caused by the lack of available psychiatric beds for his mental evaluation have significantly slowed progress.

Family’s anguish continues

For Carol Terblanche, Nadine’s mother and Ruandré’s grandmother, the repeated postponements have been emotionally draining.

Carol, who was present in court during earlier proceedings, had previously expressed relief when Danhire’s guilty plea was finalised.

Now, as the case nears the two-year mark since the murders, the family faces the ongoing frustration of justice deferred.

With Stapelberg’s mental evaluation still pending and no clear indication of when a hospital bed might become available, the case remains stalled, a grim reminder of the strain South Africa’s forensic mental health system places on the pace of justice.

The matter has been postponed to January 29 next year.

WATCH: Murdered Alberton mother and son: Stapelberg trial delayed by mental bed shortage