Murdered Nelson Mandela Bay mother, Vicki Terblanche, was neither emotionally nor physically abused by her estranged husband, Arnold Terblanche, who is now one of the accused in her murder case. In fact, she was the abuser.
This is just one of the many allegations that Terblanche’s legal representative, Alwyn Griebenow, read into the record during his client’s fresh bid for bail in the Gqeberha Magistrates Court today, April 7.
The 55-year-old appeared in court for a second bail application based on new facts after his first bid for bail was denied by this court in January this year. His appeal against this decision was also dismissed by the Gqeberha High Court early last month.
As part of the new facts that Terblanche is basing his bid for bail on, Griebenow read several sworn affidavits of different witnesses into the record.Each one of these witnesses completely dismissed what was said by investigating officer, Col. Rhynhardt “Kanna” Swanepoel, in his opposing bail affidavit.
Responding to what Swanepoel said in his affidavit about how Vicki tried to commit suicide and at least one of his previous spouses was admitted to a psychiatric facility due to alleged abuse by Terblanche, Griebenow read an affidavit by Terblanche’s first wife, Natasha Potgieter, whom he was married to for seven years, from 1989 to 1996. According to Potgieter’s affidavit, Terblanche had never abused her, not physically or emotionally in any way. She also said in her affidavit that he is not domineering or dictatorial as claimed.
“He had never laid a hand on me and I had never tried to commit suicide. I didn’t feel fearful and I wasn’t ever coerced into anything. My relationship with Arnold was based on mutual respect. He was a loving, caring husband and father,” she said. Potgieter, who is also the mother of Terblanche’s eldest daughter, Natalie Nel, said that the decision to get a divorce was a mutual one since the love between them had dissipated. She also mentioned that since he was such a great father, Nel decided to permanently live with her father when she was 14 years old, a decision that her mother was satisfied with.
The court also heard that Terblanche’s domestic worker had been working for him for the past 16 years and knew Vicki well. When the two separated, she would regularly clean Vicki’s house and was like a mother to their 12-year-old son. According to the domestic worker’s affidavit, she never saw any marks on Vicki’s body indicating that she had been abused by her husband.
“Vicki was not abused, she was the abuser. Arnold bought her expensive clothes and sent her on luxury overseas trips. He was a good husband and father and very generous.” She also said that Swanepoel’s claim that she had unlawfully entered Vicki’s house to take pictures and videos that she sent to Arnold, was factually incorrect since she cleaned Vicki’s house twice a week, meaning that she wasn’t breaking and entering when she went inside to fetch the minor child’s clothes and medication.
She also claimed that she took the pictures and videos of her own accord, not because she was instructed by Arnold. “Vicki consumed a lot of alcohol and would then change. Her favourite drinks were gin and red wine but Arnold refrained from drinking. On the days I went to clean Vicki’s house, I would find smoked cigarettes and bottles of alcohol. There was also a strange pipe lying around the back door that I later learned was for the use of substances. She often screamed hysterically and once held a kitchen knife and screamed at Arnold. He just walked away.”
Griebenow continued to read affidavits into the record, including that of Terblanche’s brother, Marius Terblanche and his son, Ethan. Swanepoel had said in his affidavit that Terblanche allegedly threatened that Marius would lose his job if Ethan didn’t make an affidavit stating that Vicki had given him drugs. He allegedly also bribed Ethan with a car. Both Ethan and Marius denied these claims in their respective affidavits.
The matter was postponed until May 3, when the court will make a ruling on whether or not these were indeed new facts presented.
