Bail denied for Brits teacher accused of murdering his wife

A teacher from Brits who is accused of killing his wife was denied bail by the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Friday and will remain in custody until his murder trial.

Magistrate Reagan Rosenberg found that Johan Smith (55) is a flight risk and that he might interfere with witnesses and evidence-gathering.

Smith, a mathematics teacher at a primary school near Brits, is accused of murdering his wife Theonette (57) and dumping her body on October 13. Her half-naked body was discovered next to a railway line in Rashoop early on that morning.

At the time of the discovery, Smith was at the police station reporting her as missing. He told police that his wife had gone missing after an argument the day before.

The court heard that after finding the body, police went to the farm where the couple lived and found a ‘tremendous amount of blood’. There were also signs that attempts were made to clean the scene, allegedly by the accused.

“He already interfered in the investigation and stands accused of defeating and obstructing the ends of justice. According to evidence before the court, the accused went to the police station to report his wife missing knowing his wife was deceased,” Rosenberg said. “Half of the deceased’s body was naked and it looked like the body was placed, which suggested that another offence also took place.”

During the bail judgment, Rosenberg mentioned that Smith had been suspended by the school he taught at.

Rosenberg said if Smith is convicted of the charges, he would face life imprisonment and this would make him a flight risk, and therefore bail was denied.

The trial date is yet to be determined.