Woman's final moments recalled

THE Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday heard a witness detailing the final moments of a woman who was shot during a robbery in Bethelsdorp in 2011.

Henry van Wyk was testifying at the trial of Elgin Barends, 24, Ronnie Jantjies, 23, Denzil Kivido, 21, all of Kleinskool, Riaan Kellies, 24, of Booysen Park, and Jason Erasmus, 22, of Extension 35.

They are charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

A sixth accused, Chesslyn Kriessel, 19, has since died.

The men are accused of murdering Letitia Bergins during a robbery on January 22 2011. Bergins was shot after she and Melville de Haas were robbed.

Van Wyk was also nearly shot.

He said he was at his home in Bracken Street in Extension 32 in Bethelsdorp – where he lived with his girlfriend, Sofie Titus, and her daughter, Bergins – on the night of the incident. "Letitia was visiting her boyfriend, Melville, who lives next door." Van Wyk said he later heard a knock on the back door.

"I opened the door and I saw Melville ... He was begging people not to stab him. I also saw three other people, one had a firearm and another one said 'shoot these n**iers'." Van Wyk said he asked De Haas what was happening and then closed the door.

"But Melville told me Letitia was still outside. I opened the door and saw Letitia and the three men were still there. She came inside and the door was closed but seconds later there was a shot."

Van Wyk said this was the shot that had killed Bergins. He had not recognised any of the men. Titus told the court that at the time Bergins was shot, she was barefoot and no longer wearing her black Grasshopper shoes.

"I identified the shoes at the police station. It was three days after the shooting. I knew they were her shoes because they were size 3s and the sole was still new."

Jantjies's defence advocate, Johan van der Spuy, said that while a similar pair of Grasshopper shoes was found in his client's possession, he denied he had stolen them from Bergins.

"Do you agree that it is a very popular shoe and that it is available for purchase in many shops?

"Is there nothing else that leads you to believe that these shoes belong to the deceased other than the soles being fairly new?" Van der Spuy asked Titus.

The trial continues today. - Lee-Anne Butler