Distraught man shouts at Lynette Volschenk murder accused in court

The results of DNA and post mortem tests in the probe into the murder of Lynette Volschenk, whose body was cut up, are not ready yet, the Bellville Magistrates’ Court in Cape Town heard on Monday.

The man accused of her murder, Kyle Ruiters, walked into the Bellville Magistrates’ Court’s dock to the sound of shutters clicking as Volschenk’s family silently sat on a bench. They did not want to speak to the media, but a group of women from SA Women Strike Back (SAWSB) sat in the court in black T-shirts bearing the slogan “no bail”.

“We are just here to show support for those who cannot speak for themselves,” SAWSB spokesperson Natalie Carter said ahead of the case.

She explained that the group was started when people felt they needed a space to talk about the horrors of crime. They decided to take action by monitoring cases and adding their voice to calls that bail should not be granted to people accused of murder.

The slightly-built accused stood quietly, with just a slight tightening of his jaw from time to time, as he appeared for the gruesome death of Volschenk at her flat in Levenstein on August 22. It is understood that he worked at the block of flats she lived in.

The 32-year-old’s murder was discovered when colleagues went to check on her when she did not arrive at work. Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said at the time that police found her remains in black bags, cut in pieces.

Some of Ruiters’ relatives sat on a separate bench on Monday. Prosecutor Clifford Moatlhodi told the court that the State would oppose bail, but Ruiters’ lawyer Edward McCullum said there would be no bail application. The court heard that post mortem and DNA results would take time to be finalised – at least three months were needed for the DNA results.

Ruiters has a clean record, a fixed address and no pending warrants or cases against him. The case was postponed to November 21, and as he was led back to holding cells to go back to custody at a prison, a man sitting with Volschenk’s family angrily shouted: “Rubbish!” They left the building quickly afterwards.

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