Deveney Nel was last seen alive with the young man who stands accused of her gruesome murder and whose DNA was found at the crime scene, on her body and on her clothes.
The 18-year-old man also faces charges of rape and attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.
The last charge stems from the fact that he reportedly placed 16-year-old Deveney’s cellphone and her blue ribbon on another man’s Opel Corsa bakkie “with the intention of diverting the investigation”.
The deceased’s cellphone, said the State, was later found by the accused’s mother. The State, however, did not elaborate on how the cellphone came to be in possession of the accused’s mother.
COMMON INTEREST
These facts came to light during the accused’s pre-trial hearing in the Western Cape High Court on Friday 12 September.
The accused cannot be named as he is being tried under the Child Justice Act because he was a minor at the time of his arrest on 16 August 2024, hours after attending a memorial service for the young girl that was restricted to staff and learners of Hoërskool Overberg and learners’ parents.
It is said both Deveney and her alleged killer formed part of the school’s first aid team at a sporting event held at Hoërskool Overberg in Caledon on that fatal day.
According to the State, Deveney was last seen alive with the accused as they walked towards the school building.
‘PART OF THE SEARCH’
When Deveney failed to show up for her lift from the school in Caledon to her home in Grabouw, her mother reported her as missing.
The accused allegedly assisted with the search for Deveney, whose body was discovered later that day (Wednesday 7 August 2024) in a storeroom on the school premises. She had been stabbed “approximately seven times” and had also sustained other injuries.
The case has been postponed to Monday 27 October in order for the accused to consult with his lawyer.
OTHER PROCEEDINGS
The accused’s mother has since applied for interdicts against activist Tanya Bippert, One Billion Rising SA’s national co-ordinator Lucinda Evans, a woman from Grabouw and Julian Jansen, a well-known journalist and the author of a number of books including The Murder of Deveney Nel.
The case in the Grabouw Magistrates’ Court will be heard again on Friday 26 September.
Evans called on the public to assist with donations towards travelling and accommodation expenses of Deveney’s mother Lida and activists who will have to travel from the Overberg to Cape Town for the trial.
Those who would like to make a donation can call Evans on 073 424 4665.
