The murder trial of Frederick Stapelberg continued with the evidence of Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Els, the State’s 10th witness, who described what he found when he attended the crime scene in Alberton on November 27, 2023.

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

No signs of a struggle

Els, who has served in the SAPS since 1988 and as a detective since 1989, is commander of the Ekurhuleni Murder and Robbery Unit.

He was called to the scene in Langenhoven Street after being told that a mother and child had been murdered and that the suspected attacker, a Zimbabwean national working for the family, had been arrested by security officers.

He arrived after 18:00 and initially remained outside the house while waiting for forensic personnel.

During this time, he briefly spoke to Stapelberg, who told him he had been attacked by the Zimbabwean man with an axe. Stapelberg showed him a small wound on his chest. When Els entered the house with forensic personnel, he was struck by how neat it was. He said based on his experience, he expected a violent double murder scene to contain blood, broken objects or other signs of a struggle.

Finding Nadine and Ruandré

In the main bedroom, Els saw Terblanche lying on her back on the bed. She was wearing only a swimsuit and shorts. He noticed a head wound and a large amount of blood, including dried blood on her face. He said the room showed no obvious signs of a struggle.

Els also noticed that Terblanche was still wearing jewellery, including rings, a necklace and a bracelet. In his experience, he said, valuable jewellery would normally be taken during a robbery. Her cellphone was not in the room, which he found unusual.

In another bedroom, Els found the young boy, Ruandré, lying on his back wearing shorts or a swimsuit.

He noticed marks around the boy’s neck and a coat hanger on the bed. He said the marks appeared consistent with possible suffocation, although he could not say whether a coat hanger or hands had been used.

No blood on axe

The detective later found an axe on the kitchen counter. He said it was clean and showed no blood. Fingerprints and swabs were taken from it, but Els did not know the final forensic results.

He told the court that, if it had been the murder weapon, it appeared to have been washed.

Forensic testing also revealed blood in a basin in a bedroom, despite the house appearing clean to the naked eye. Els said the basin could have been used to wash hands or an axe.

A search of the room where Pardon Danhire was staying produced Terblanche’s handbag, two cellphones, two laptops and her wallet. Her passport was also found there. Els said it was strange that there appeared to have been no attempt to pack clothes or flee.

During cross-examination, the defence questioned Els about his observations and his brief interaction with Stapelberg. He confirmed that he had not seen Danhire and had relied on information given to him about the arrests.

The defence also suggested that a chair and other items shown in the evidence photographs could indicate where a struggle had taken place. Els accepted that this was possible.

He had no further involvement in the investigation after attending the scene.

The matter has been postponed to Tuesday, August 25.

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