Pieterse family immoliated, Nelspruit

Family drama: father and son found torched; mother dies in Mediclinic of burn wounds

Nelspruit. It is suspected that apparently depressed Afrikaner building contractor dad André Pieterse (40) may have poured petrol over himself and son Marco, 9, and set fire to both of them after bashing his wife Suzelle, 38, with a hammer...

 

The father and son were found together on a double bed, immoliated in the Sheppard Park apartments. Wife Suzelle, 38, apparently battered with a hammer before Pieterse’s suspected self-immoliation, was rescued after she was seen by alarmed neighbours through a window crawling around in the smouldering fire at about 6am.

However she died several hours later at the Nelspruit Mediclinic where she worked. The fire department broke down the door after they were alerted by neighbours.  Beeld reporter Buks Viljoen quoted col. Gerrie Agenbag, chief of the detectives branch in Nelspruit, as saying that this 'was one of the worst crime scenes he's witnessed in his career.'

Police do suspect that it was a triple family-murder because there were no signs of forced entry to the apartment and nothing seemed to be missing. A family friend was quoted as saying that 'André had money-problems and was very depressed lately". Three months ago, Mrs Pieterse was appointed in the administration department of the Nelspruit Mediclinic where she now is under treatment.

The fire was discovered at 6 by neighbours who smelled the smoke and went to investigate. The charred remains of Mr Pieterse and Marco, grade-five pupil at the Nelspruit Afrikaans Primary, were on the double-bed: Marco on his stomach, his dad on his back next to  him. Mrs Pieterse was on the floor next to the bed.

Another resident, André Lombard, was murdered in the same room on 4 May 2009
Police found a blood-coated hammer in the living room on chair and a bottle half-filled with petrol next to the bed. A cup of warm coffee was in the kitchen and the bath was filled with warm watter. The kitchen had blood-spatters and there were blood-trails leading to the bedroom. The father and son died in the very same room where a previous occupant, André Lombard, was also murdered on 4 May 2009 by suspected burglars who were never arrested.

Mrs Pieterse's lifelong friend, Mrs Daniella Kilian, 37, said she could not believe that Andre could have done something like that to his son: 'he adored his son,' she said.“Suzelle and Marco always called him 'Pappa Bear' because he was such a loving, calm person. He never missed a rugby game and was always there for them. He loved them very much, said Mrs Kilian. "They still phoned us last weekend to brag about Marco's excellence in long-jump athletics. They were so proud of him.' http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Pa-40-brand-sy-seun-dood-20110204