A mother’s anguish and uncertainty about the brutal rape, mutilation and slaying of her 17-year-old daughter might come to an end in September with an official inquest into the death of Anika Smit.
It has been more than five years since Anika Smit was murdered on 10 March 2010 in her father’s Theresa Park home by having her throat slit before both her hands were severed. Her hands had to date not been found.
The inquest was on Tuesday postponed to September. It was the second postponement after the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court in February granted the late teenager’s mother, Charlotte Eksteen, time to obtain legal representation to assist her in the inquest.
Only three people, Anika’s father Johan Smit, her former boyfriend Nico Venter and Eksteen had been named as interested parties in the inquest.
Both Venter and Smit already had legal representation and earlier this year, Magistrate Pierre Wessels ordered the Legal Aid Board to assist Eksteen. However, she had in the meantime retained the services of her own attorney, Arno Olckers.
Tania Carstens, representing the State in the inquest, on Tuesday said that she would urgently consult with certain witnesses who, at the time of the murder, had made claims and statements on social media about the death of the blonde teenager.
She said she had already given photographs and documentation to the legal representatives of Venter and Smit. Venter is represented by Anton van Staden and Smit by Willem Koekemoer.
The State had a list of 96 witnesses that it may call to testify at the inquest.
Although the police investigation into the murder had continued unabated, nobody had yet been arrested for the killing of the Hoërskool Gerrit Maritz Grade 11 pupil, but her family and loved ones hoped that a formal inquest into her death could shed some light on the mystery.
Venter was arrested for the murder in May 2010, but the charges against him was later withdrawn and he was released. Smit had also been questioned by the police about the murder, but at this stage there was no official suspect.
Eksteen told Rekord earlier: “It is impossible for me to get closure about the death of my beautiful daughter because of this uncertainty. I do not know if they will ever find the person responsible for her death, but believe that the inquest will shed more light on the events of that fateful day.”
Prosecutor Tania Carstens argued in February in favour of legal representation for Anika’s mother, saying: “Eksteen is now the voice of her daughter who had been so cruelly murdered and therefore she deserves legal aid.”
Wessels agreed, saying that he could just imagine how difficult it would be for a mother to look at photos of her slain daughter and ask meaningful questions about them during the inquest.
“It is definitely in the interest of justice, the community of Pretoria North and the mother that she had proper legal representation in these proceedings.”
On the day of her murder, Anika stayed at home from school because of an ear infection.
Police investigations at the time indicated the teenager had known her attacker as she had locked the family dogs in the back yard and there had been no sign of any forced entry into the house, which had several security doors.
Also read: Still no suspect in Anika’s murder
Still no light shed on Anika’s slaying
Details surrounding brutal slaying expected
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