Every November, the colour purple washes across SA, symbolising both the fight against GBV and the global movement for pancreatic cancer awareness. It becomes the colour of grief, unity and defiance.

As survivors, families and communities honour those taken by violence, the Alberton Record turns its focus to a mother whose life was shattered on November 27, 2023.

How purple connects pain and protest

November sees purple ribbons, profile pictures, and campaigns take over the country. Purple symbolises courage and resistance in the Women for Change movement, and marks Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

It is a colour shared by grief, activism and remembrance.

A mother forever changed

This year, the Alberton Record shines a spotlight on 56-year-old Carol Terblanche, mother of the late Nadine Terblanche and the grandmother of Ruandré Vorster.

Both were murdered at their Alberton home, allegedly at the instruction of Nadine’s boyfriend, Frederick Stapelberg.

Their gardener, Pardon Danhire, confessed to the killings after allegedly being promised R100 000 to carry out the murders.

Danhire has since been sentenced and turned State witness, yet nearly two years later, the case against the alleged mastermind remains stalled in endless delays.

Carol’s daily battle with grief

In her interview with the Alberton Record, Carol shared how each postponement forces her to relive the horror.
She said she takes each day as it comes, but admits the delays repeatedly break her.

“I now mark birthdays in silence. We shared a birthday with Ruandré and he would have turned 11 on October 6, while Nadine’s birthday on September 21 now passes with unbearable sadness,” she said.

This time of year, she told the Record, is the hardest to endure for the second year without them.

Tension in the justice system

Carol said that the High Court recognises the seriousness of the matter, but still acts slowly, especially in securing the psychiatric bed required for Stapelberg’s evaluation. He is number 92 on the waiting list, after previously being 128.

She said she feels that the accused is manipulating the system to avoid accountability.

While she does not blame the law itself, she believes the system allows delays that deepen the suffering of families left behind.

“I remain grateful for the support of the State prosecutor handling the matter because she has stood by me through every setback,” she said.

Government declares GBVF a national crisis

On November 20, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development released a statement confirming that the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) fully supports the presidential call to declare GBVF a national crisis.

The DWYPD said this declaration strengthens SA’s commitment to accelerate the National Strategic Plan on GBVF across its six pillars, ranging from justice and protection to social cohesion and economic empowerment.

The minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, urged all sectors to unite in combating GBVF, emphasising that the government alone could not end the violence.

As part of the upcoming 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the department will launch the Letsema campaign, calling on society, including media houses, to work together through responsible storytelling and collaborative action.

Danhire’s guilty plea and role as a State witness

Earlier this year, co-accused Danhire pleaded guilty under a plea agreement. He admitted to killing Nadine with an axe and suffocating Ruandré with a pillow.

He was sentenced to 25 years, with five years suspended on condition of testifying against Stapelberg.

His co-operation dramatically shifted the State’s case, pointing directly to Stapelberg as the alleged mastermind.

“Women live in fear daily” – Carol’s message to SA

Carol believes women in SA live with constant fear, unsure who will be the next victim of violence.

“At times, I feel like giving up because the system makes healing impossible. But I continue to fight because I am driven by my love for Nadine and Ruandré,” she said.

She urges women facing abuse to value themselves and leave dangerous situations.

She warns perpetrators that they destroy not only their victims’ lives but also the families left behind with unending pain.

The long wait for justice continues

As the case nears two years without resolution, Stapelberg’s mental evaluation remains outstanding, and the trial remains on hold.

The matter was postponed to January 29.

Until then, Carol waits. SA waits. And in November, the month of purple, we remember Nadine and Ruandré, and the countless families forever changed by violence.

ALSO READ: Murdered Alberton mother and son: Stapelberg case delayed again by psychiatric bed shortage