State to call 141 witnesses in axe murder case

The 21-year-old's pre-trial hearing was postponed in the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town on Friday morning.

Laila Majiet reports...

NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila would not be drawn on whether Marli van Breda would testify against her older brother.

Marli survived the attack, but sustained serious head injuries and is suffering from retrograde amnesia.

It's still unclear if she would be able to recall any details around the incident.

He also revealed that a translator would be required, as some of the witnesses were Xhosa-speaking.

Ntabazalila said the postponement was due to outstanding DNA reports as well as a request by the defence for further information from the State.

Van Breda made a brief appearance in court. He faces three charges of murder, one of attempted murder and one of defeating the ends of justice.

He handed himself over to police in June, 18 months after the attack. He is out on bail of R100 000.

The NPA says it took over a year for them to finalise the case as investigators wanted to be sure the evidence was strong enough to proceed.

"We have a refined indictment. It has become clearer that all three of the deceased were hit several times on the head and died on the scene. We also know that the accused had self-inflicted injuries and supplied false information to the police," Ntabazalila said.

Court papers reveal Henri van Breda searched the internet for emergency numbers nearly three hours before alerting the authorities about the murder of his family.

His clothes were soaked in the blood of the deceased, DNA analysis revealed.

An axe and a kitchen knife were used in the attack. Both were recovered at the scene and came from the Van Breda home.