Victim's family fought back tears as Modimolle Monster entered the court.
|||Clutching firmly on to a close family friend, the teenage daughter of rape and mutilation victim, Ina Bonnette, fought back tears as her mother’s attackers were led into court.
With crowds outside the Modimolle Magistrate’s Court baying for the blood of Johan Kotze, dubbed the Modimolle Monster, and his three co-accused, those inside hissed at the men as they were led into the dock.
Shaking as she watched an emotionless Kotze walk past her, Angelique Bonnette, held her stepfather in an icy cold stare as she sat in the front row of the public gallery. Kotze had only moments before been served with divorce papers.
With the words, “cowards, cowards, cowards” echoing around the courtroom, Angelique stared at the back of her former stepfather’s head, her lip trembling as she fought back her emotions. Close family friends and her murdered brother’s girlfriend, Kyala Beukes, held onto her while offering silent prayers as word quickly spread of a threatening phone call Bonnette had received.
The call, apparently made by an Afrikaans speaking man telling Bonnette: “Ek sien jou maar jy kannie my sien nie” (I see you but you can’t see me), is believed to have led to authorities asking Bonnette to stay away from court after earlier this week saying she would be there to face her attackers.
Kotze and his co-accused, who cannot be named because they have yet to enter a plea, were appearing for the second time yesterday in connection with the attack on Bonnette and the murder of her 20-year-old son and Pretoria University student, Conrad.
The vicious nature of the attack, which was carried out when the two were allegedly lured to Kotze’s rented home, gripped the country, sparking a nationwide outcry.
With heavily armed police keeping an eye on the proceedings and those both inside and outside the court, the four appeared before a packed courtroom filled with supporters wearing ANC Women’s League colours and pink-and-white T-shirts with the word “Ina” inside a heart on the front.
Remanded back into custody until May 11 by Magistrate Hannes Stoffberg, for further investigation and a trial date, the four were led past glaring onlookers, many of whom took photographs of the accused on their cellphones.
Despite being pressed for comment a clean shaven Kotze, wearing a blue checked shirt and denims, ignored Bonnette’s supporters, deliberately turning his head away from Angelique as he was escorted back into the court cells.
With determination, Angelique, listening to the cell doors slamming shut, said she and her mother were strong.
“I am sorry he didn’t look at me. I wanted to look at him and tell him exactly what I think of him. That he is nothing more than a pathetic coward,” she said.
Asked if she had anything to say to Kotze, Angelique said she was not going to waste her breath on him.
“What for? What must I say to that coward. Why should I waste my time?” she said.
Asked about the threatening telephone call, Bonnette’s wedding photographer and close family friend, Elize Coetzer, said the call had been made while Bonnette was at work.
“A man speaking Afrikaans refusing to identify himself told her he could see her, but she could not see him before hanging up the phone.
“She is petrified and after making good progress in recovering she is back to square one. She is scared that the person is watching her every move and that Kotze has support from people in this town.
“She is scared that the person will know where she is moving to and that the threats will continue, but we will not allow this.
“We are taking steps to ensure that this animal cannot get to her, that he can no longer harm her,” she said.
State prosecutor, Renier van Rooyen, asked if he was concerned about the threat and whether it could jeopardise the case, said while he was concerned, it would not.
“We have solid evidence and the only thing this threat can do is possibly affect any bail application.