Ex-wife and neighbour give evidence as sensitive cross-examination clears Palm Ridge courtroom

The murder trial of Frederick ‘Freddie’ Stapelberg continued in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on August 14, with the State calling two more witnesses.

This included Stapelberg’s former wife, Natasha Stapelberg.

Stapelberg faces two counts of premeditated murder and two counts of attempted murder following the deaths of Nadine Terblanche and her son, Ruandré Vorster, in November 2023. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Neighbour finds boy in bedroom

Lizelle Fourie, the State’s eighth witness, gave the court an account of what she saw after her son, Brandon, arrived home on November 27, 2023, and noticed something was wrong at the neighbouring property.

Fourie said Brandon stopped in their driveway instead of driving all the way through the two gates. She found this unusual and went outside to ask what was wrong.

Brandon told her that people across the road were being held up inside their house. Fourie said she did not know the people living there and initially found it difficult to believe that such an incident was happening in their neighbourhood.

Fourie said the front gate of Stapelberg’s property was open. She met Stapelberg on the pathway and said he told her that his wife had just been killed.

Fourie understood him to mean that the man who had run away had killed his wife. Importantly, she said Stapelberg did not tell her that the boy had also been killed.

When Fourie asked about the children, Stapelberg told her that they were at school but that the boy was inside the house.

Because she believed the boy was still alive, Fourie offered to fetch him. She said she was concerned that the child might see his mother and wanted to take him back to her own home.

Fourie said she was also frightened because she did not know what had happened inside the house. She therefore called out to the boy in a calm voice in Afrikaans, trying not to frighten him and believing that he might be hiding somewhere.

She walked through the house, calling for him as she made her way towards the bedrooms. When she eventually entered the bedroom, she saw the boy lying face down on the bed.

At first, Fourie thought he was sleeping deeply. She then went closer and placed her hand on his back. She realised that he was not breathing and was unresponsive.

Fourie returned towards the living room area, where she found Stapelberg trying to make a telephone call. She assisted with the call and spoke to a woman on the line, who was later identified to her as Carol.

Fourie said the house itself appeared neat and was not in a state of disarray. She did not initially notice signs of a struggle. However, while leaving the house, she noticed a clean axe lying on the kitchen counter.

During cross-examination, the defence questioned Fourie about what Stapelberg had told her when she arrived. The defence suggested that he had told her both his wife and son had been killed.

Fourie maintained that she clearly remembered him mentioning only his wife.

The defence also questioned her about why she did not ask Stapelberg about the axe, her movements after being asked to leave the property and the telephone call she helped him make.

Fourie confirmed that she had not known Stapelberg or his family before the incident, despite being neighbours, and had never visited their home. She also confirmed that she did not see Nadine herself.

Ex-wife recounts Stapelberg’s version

Natasha Stapelberg was the next witness. She told the court that she and Freddie had been married for 13 years and that they knew Nadine and her late ex-partner.

Natasha said Freddie had left her and moved in with Nadine, but denied that she was angry or resentful towards him.

She said that at the beginning of November 2023, Freddie contacted her and asked whether she could help him settle his debt following their divorce. He wanted to find a place to stay and obtain a small vehicle for himself and the children.

Natasha said the children had told her about fights between Freddie and Nadine. She advised Freddie to stay with his father until the divorce was finalised. He followed her advice and moved in with his father. She later learnt that he had moved back in with Nadine.

Natasha said she learnt about the deaths after receiving a call from one of the daughters. She spoke to Freddie after the funeral and asked him what had happened.

According to Natasha, Freddie told her that he had arrived home, parked his vehicle and found Pardon Danhire waiting for him at the front door. She said Freddie told her that Danhire wanted them to fetch the children.

Natasha said Freddie told her that Danhire then took an axe from behind him and tried to strike him. Freddie allegedly said he blocked the blow with his left hand while holding his car keys in his right hand and pressing the panic button.

Natasha also told the court that the children did not attend the funeral because they did not want to go.

Sensitive cross-examination moved off public record

During cross-examination, the defence questioned Natasha about Danhire, whom she said she had known since 2020 when she and Freddie visited Nadine and her late ex-partner. She said Danhire had worked as their gardener.

Natasha described Danhire as respectful and said he would always greet them. However, when asked whether she was afraid of him, she said that she was.

The defence then asked why she was afraid of Danhire. Natasha referred to what had happened between them.

The State objected to the line of questioning. The court then briefly adjourned while the State and defence met with the judge in chambers.

The judge ruled that the defence was permitted to challenge evidence before the court where the questions were relevant and had value. The court also recognised its duty to protect witnesses, but held that it could not prevent the defence from asking relevant questions, even where the questions alluded to another sensitive matter.

The remainder of Natasha’s cross-examination was therefore conducted in camera and excluded from the public record due to the sensitive nature of the matter being discussed and the direction of the defence’s questions.

The courtroom was cleared while this portion of the proceedings took place.

The trial resumed on August 19 at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

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