Charlize. Chris Karsten
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asleep. I switched off the light.
My mother went to the kitchen. I heard my mother open the kitchen door, but the safety door was still locked. I heard him (my father) ask my mother why she had not left the door open for him. My mother answered that she and I were alone. Then my father began to curse and swear. I had never heard him swear like that. My mother told him that he was scaring her and that she had never seen him like that.
At that he shouted that if she did not open the door he was going to shoot her dead. I heard the door being slammed. Then a shot rang out. My mother ran down the passage. I heard her wardrobe door opening. The next moment she stormed into my bedroom. Another shot rang out.
Then we heard my father hammer on the door [of Charlize’s bedroom]. My mother pushed the door shut. He tried to push the door open. The next moment another shot rang out. It went right through my bedroom door and through my window.
At that my father said he was going to shoot both of us dead with his shotgun. I heard him go to the main bedroom.
My mother said she was scared he was going to kill us. Then she also left the room. The next minute I heard a lot of shots. I don’t know how many, but it was a lot. Then I heard my mother scream. It was a hysterical scream. I came out of my room too.
When I got to the passage, I saw my father’s brother, Danie Theron, there. My mother sat in a corner of the bedroom. I ran to her and asked: “What happened?” My mother was crying and said: “Charlize, I shot them, I shot them.” Then I saw my father’s body on the floor next to the bed. There was blood too.
I shouted to my mother that we had to get away. I grabbed the keys of one of our vehicles. When I came outside, I saw my father’s brother getting into his pickup.
My mother shouted: “Go and call Uncle Wick (our neighbour)!” So I did. He phoned the police.
The body did not sustain any further wounds or injuries in my presence. I also want to mention that at no point did my mother drink any alcohol. She was sober.
I am familiar with and understand the contents of the statement. I have no objection to the oath. I consider the oath binding to my conscience.
In many respects Gerda’s statement corresponds with Charlize’s. (They were at home alone when Charles arrived and the shooting began.)
I, Mrs Gerda Jacoba Alletta [sic] Theron, a white female, ID [omitted], living at Plot 56, 7th Road, Cloverdene, tel. [omitted], own business at Plot 56, 7th Road, Cloverdene, declare under oath:
On Friday 1991–06–21 at about 21:30 my daughter, Charlize, and I arrived at our home at the above address. When we arrived there, we could not find our house key where we usually left it.
Thereupon we went to Mrs Malan at the corner of Cloverdene Road and Third Road, Cloverdene. When we arrived there, I found my late husband, Charles Jacobus Theron, ID [omitted], there, drinking with his brother, Mr Danie Theron. I am not sure what it was [they were drinking]. I noticed, however, that his speech was slurred and I could see from his face that he had been drinking. His face was very red.
I asked him where our house key was. He told me to wait, as he just wanted to finish his drink.
But we did not want to wait. Mrs Malan gave me the key to our house, and I returned to our vehicle. My daughter joined me and we went home.
At home I unlocked the doors and then locked them again securely, and we put on our pyjamas. Soon afterwards the telephone began to ring. I told my daughter not to pick it up. After a long while the telephone stopped ringing. Immediately afterwards it began to ring again. My daughter then picked it up, and I concluded that she was talking to my husband. He argued with her and after a while he hung up on her.
At about 22:00 on the same date I heard a hammering on the kitchen door. My daughter was afraid and got into bed. I went to the kitchen, where I unlocked the door. The safety door was still locked. My late husband and his brother were both outside the door.
My late husband began to swear terribly and asked me why I had locked the door. I answered that we were at home alone. He said he wanted money. I told him I would go and fetch money. He said: “Open the door or I’ll shoot you dead.” I pushed the door shut and almost immediately he fired a shot with a firearm that he had in his hand.
The firearm was a .22 pistol, Astra no. [omitted]. The firearm belongs to [omitted]. My husband was in the process of buying the firearm from [omitted].
Then he said to me: “Oh, you think I can’t get inside the house!”
I ran to the bedroom and took my .38 Taurus Special revolver Serial no. [omitted], which belongs to me, out of my wardrobe. Then I went to my daughter’s room.
Soon afterwards my husband, who had got inside the house very quickly, began to hammer on the door [of Charlize’s room]. I pushed the door shut. I heard another shot and later saw that the bullet had gone through the bedroom door and out through the window.
He shouted: “Tonight I’ll shoot both of you dead with the shotgun!” Then he went to the bedroom. I was very frightened and feared for my daughter’s and my own life.
I ran after him to the bedroom. I began to fire at him. I don’t know how many shots I fired. I saw him fall.
When I turned, I saw his brother behind me and instinctively I fired another shot in his direction. His brother fell too.
Then my daughter came out of her room to help me. We were both crying.
My daughter went to call our neighbours and they summoned the police.
Later I identified the body to Detective Sergeant Delport as that of Mr Charles Jacobus Theron.
The body sustained no further wounds or injuries in my presence.
I am familiar with the contents of this statement.
Danie Theron waited outside after Charles had forced open the door of the bar. Only when he heard shots being fired inside did he go in. His statement read:
I, Mr Daniël Theron, a white man 36 years old, residing at [omitted], Kuruman, tel. [omitted], own business, declare under oath:
On Friday 1991–06–21 at about 15:30 my brother Mr Charles Theron (the deceased) phoned me and asked me to pay him a visit. At that stage I was staying with our sister at Plot 25, Cloverdene.
At first I did not want to go, as Charles’s wife, Mrs Gerda Theron, and I do not see eye to eye. He said that she had taken their daughter away and was not there at the moment. There-upon I went to his house at Plot 56, 7th Road, Cloverdene.
I stayed there for a short while and then we returned to Plot 25, Cloverdene.
When we arrived there, I quickly got my [new] pickup ready and then asked Charles to take a test drive with me. While we were driving, we made a quick stop at a bottle store at Rynfield [in Benoni] and bought a bottle of vodka, as well as a 20 ml bottle of Underberg, which Charles wanted to drink for his headache. We returned to Plot 25, Cloverdene.
Back at the house, Charles drank the small bottle of Underberg. Then I poured each of us a glass of vodka and we sat at the table, talking. During our conversation I realised that my brother was under a great deal of pressure and wanted to take a break for a few days.
During the entire evening Charles had only 2 small glasses of vodka.
At about 21:15, while we were still talking, Charles’s wife, Mrs Gerda Theron, and his daughter, Charlize, arrived.
Charlize entered without greeting anyone and went directly to the toilet. Mrs Theron didn’t come in but stood at the door and asked for the key of their house. Charles told her that he had the key. He invited her to come in and sit down. He would only be another 5 minutes. She said that he [unclear] and that she would not come in.
My wife gave Mrs Theron the key. She left. Charles’s daughter walked out, again without saying goodbye to anyone. They left. Charles asked his