Some light may be shed on the murder of schoolgirl Anika Smit, when three people closest to her at the time of her death are expected to testify in a formal inquest on Friday. Smit’s mutilated body was discovered in her Theresa Park home in 2010.
The Grade 11 pupil at Hoërskool Gerrit Maritz was raped and had her throat slit before both her hands were severed by her murderer.
Although her former boyfriend, Nico Venter, was initially arrested in connection with the brutal slaying, all charges against him was later withdrawn and he was released. To date, despite continuous efforts by the police, nobody else had been arrested for killing the attractive young blonde girl.
On Friday 13 February, a formal inquest into the death will be held in the Pretoria North magistrate’s court. It is expected that evidence will be given by Venter, and Anika’s father, Johan Smit, in an open court for the first time. Although Anika’s mother, Charlotte Eksteen, had also been named as an interested party in the inquest, it is not known if she would be required to testify.
On the day of her murder, Anika stayed at home from school because of an ear infection. Police investigations at the time indicated that the 17-year-old had known her attacker as she had locked the family dogs in the backyard and there had been no sign of any forced entry into the house, which had several security doors.
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