I recently read the book ‘Moord Op Pofadder’ which tells the horrific story of the murder of Leon Brits. Leon was a proud business owner, husband and father.
To the community in Pofadder, the Brits couple seemed normal; no one would have guessed that the one would commit the murder of the other.
Jacques van Vuuren knew Suretha most of his life; he was friends with her brother, and she grew up in front of him; it is safe to say that he had a soft spot for her, almost like a small sister. Suretha knew this, and when she contacted Jacques and explained that her husband was abusing her and that divorce wasn’t an option, she convinced Jacques to arrange the murder of her husband.
Van Vuuren knew he would not be able to kill someone himself, but he felt he needed to help her, and he was in a tight financial position. After receiving the deposit, Jacques arranged with Enrich Williams and Amantle Bareki to kill Leon Brits; he was just the middleman and the driver.
Suretha lured Leon home while Williams and Bareki waited to ambush him. Leon fought with everything in him, but unfortunately, he lost, and his life ended violently. Suretha went home shortly after she received word from van Vuuren that the job was done. She found Leon in the swimming pool, and then the theatrics started. She had to put on a show and play her part, and she almost got away with it if it wasn’t for Van Vuuren’s conscience.
Van Vuuren was struggling to cope after what he had done. He decided to hand himself over to the police, and on his way, he was apprehended after the police received a tip. He cooperated and confessed to his part in the murder. Now, at this point, the detectives involved suspected that more suspects would be involved, but they were flabbergasted when Van Vuuren named Suretha as the main culprit.
The detectives built their case against Suretha, and the evidence started building up. Eventually, she pleaded guilty; the state’s case was just too strong, and she wanted to spare her family and children the stress of a trial. Children that now have to grow up without a father and a mother.
Suretha stated that Leon abused her mentally and sexually; Leon is not here to defend himself, so we can only speculate as to what happened between them. Was she just greedy? Or was this her only way out?
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
