NELSPRUIT – A woman who was allegedly brutally assaulted with a hammer by her husband in 2011, opted for euthanasia in a European country a year later.
Ms Francis Hamwijk Cruywagen (53) had sustained such serious brain injuries that she was left blind and paralysed. However, she was fully aware of her surroundings and regained her speech. As she was a Dutch citizen, she returned to Holland where she underwent psychological evaluation and was deemed fit to receive a lethal injection.
Mr Edwin Cruywagen is currently on trial for her attempted murder. He was initially charged with her murder, but the charge was later changed when the state was informed that she didn’t die in a hospital from her injuries as they had initially thought.
Close friends of her spoke to Lowvelder about the problems the couple had encountered, which they believe lead to the attack on June 21 that year. However, they wished to remain anonymous out of fear for their own safety. The newspaper also interviewed her nephew, Mr Stanley Sliphorst, who still resides in Holland, via email. He gave the publication permission to disclose his particulars.
The night of the attack
Ms Cruywagen owned Gecko Bushbackpackers in Hazyview and married Edwin in October 2004. Her friends received a phone call from Edwin’s brother-in-law at about 03:30 on June 21, 2011, informing them that Francis had allegedly been attacked by Edwin. She was in a critical condition and on her way to Mediclinic Nelspruit.
“We informed her family in Holland and drove to the hospital immediately. She was in a bad state, with a bruise mark around her neck and blood under her nails from fighting back. She had a lot of bruises and scratches,” the friends said.
The next morning they went to the lodge and couldn’t find Edwin. They spoke to the security guard, Mr George Mohlala, who had performed duty that night and he showed them his log book. “He wrote that Edwin and Francis were having a fight and he had heard a lot of screams. Everything went quiet when Edwin left the premises.” The friends were then informed that Edwin had gone to the Big 5 Lodge where he apparently confessed to Mr Patrick Herbst, his friend at the time, to killing his wife.
“Herbst phoned the police, but when they arrived at the scene, they couldn’t get to Francis as her dogs were very protective and did not allow them into her room. The police phoned a friend and when he arrived, he took the dogs to another location so that paramedics could attend to her. Her legs were lying on the bed and her torso was halfway off the bed.
“We were later informed that, on their way to Mediclinic, paramedics had to stop three times to revive her. Back at Gecko Bushbackpackers, we saw a pool of blood on the mattress and on the floor.”
The friends added that, when Ms Cruywagen had regained consciousness, she wanted to see Edwin to ask him why he had attacked her. “She missed him and still loved him, but there was an interdict preventing him from going near her.”
Ms Cruywagen’s recovery
She was in a coma for two months before she was transferred to Macadamia Clinic where she received 24-hour care. According to her friends, she was like a baby trapped in an adult’s body, but she was lucid. When she realised that she would need 24 hour assistance for the rest of her life – unable to walk or use her hands and would remain blind – she asked her family to take her to Holland for euthanasia. Her money and medical aid had also run out.
“She died bitter and was angry at Africa and all of us who live in it.”
Edwin’s response
When Lowvelder approached him, he denied having attacked his wife that night. He stated that they had a mere disagreement and not a fight like Mohlala alleged. “There was a robbery as some of her jewellery went missing, as well as my watch and cash from a safe of which the door was left open. The police didn’t do a proper job in investigating the attack. I still don’t understand why I am being implicated after three years. I now struggle to find employment due to this sword hanging over my head.”
The court case
Both Herbst and Mohlala have testified against the accused. The state prosecutor, Mr Michael Mazibuko, on Monday said during his closing arguments, that the state had proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had attacked his wife. The case has been postponed to April 7 for the verdict.
