Additional accused summoned in Hetta Potgieter murder
Following further investigation, a woman was rearrested for her alleged involvement in the 2018 murder.
A 51-year-old woman was served with a summons on July 20 by the Mbombela-based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit to return to court for murder and aggravated robbery after the case against her was withdrawn by the Mbombela High Court in 2021.
The accused will appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on August 12 on charges related to Hetta Potgieter’s (85) murder in 2018.
The police did not name the woman in its statement, but Lowvelder had previously reported on the matter here:
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The Hawks discovered new evidence against her after an intensive investigation. During the probe, it was found that she had been with the two currently life sentence-serving prisoners, Shaun Oosthuizen (42) and John Leonard du Plooy (32), during an incident.
It is alleged that on July 8 of that year the trio entered the Macadamia Old Age Home in Mpumalanga where they robbed and murdered Potgieter and fled the crime scene with the victim’s jewellery.
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The suspects were arrested separately and the case against the woman was withdrawn due to insufficient evidence. After the case was handed over to the Hawks for further investigation, she was rearrested and her case was placed back onto the court roll.
The Hawks’ provincial head, Major General Zodwa Mokoena, conveyed her appreciation to the investigating team for their perseverance and hard work in ensuring that the accused has her day in court.
