JACOBUS Johannes Oosthuizen made a brief first appearance in the Paarl Magistrate’s Court yesterday accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend Nicola Pienaar, 28.
On Sunday, Oosthuizen led police to a secluded area of his backyard and pointed out the spot where Pienaar’s body was found buried under a pile of rubble.
He was arrested in Port Elizabeth last week driving the Peugeot 206 belonging to Marlaine Pienaar-Vice, Pienaar’s mother, who reported it stolen soon after she filed a missing person’s report for her daughter on January 8.
At the time Oosthuizen claimed he dropped Pienaar off in Oudtshoorn to take a bus home after they had an argument.
After his case was transferred to Paarl, he pointed out the location of his girlfriend’s body.
Inside the packed court room, a shackled Oosthuizen was led up the stairs into the dock by a police officer, as a media scrum formed behind him with cameras pointed in his direction.
In the dock, he answered elementary questions from magistrate Diane Blaauw while his lawyer Brent Heyns sat in front of him.
Pienaar-Vice sobbed as Oosthuizen entered the court room while her friends Russel Esau, Bonita Kilowan and ex-husband Francois Pienaarcomforted her.
State prosecutor Nathan Johnson informed Blaauw bail would be opposed.
“We are awaiting preliminary post-mortem and DNA reports to verify if the unborn child’s heart stopped beating when the victim was strangled. The State also considers the accused a flight risk, as he has various aliases and we therefore oppose bail,” said Johnson.
He said Oosthuizen faces charges of attempted murder for slashing Pienaar’s lower abdomen, murder for strangling her and theft and fraud for her stolen cards.
Heyns confirmed he would not seek bail for his client in preparation for his next appearance.
Johnson requested a date in April to allow for adequate time for the forensic reports to be completed and after consulting the defence it was agreed for a closer date.
The next date agreed upon was March 17 and Heyns placed it on record that his client no longer be questioned without his legal counsel present.
Pienaar-Vice spoke outside court and said she expected the accused would not receive bail.
“I expected it, I believe its the normal procedure in cases such as this.
“My daughter was cremated yesterday (Wednesday) and we will have a small service for her next week.”
She said the funeral will only be for family and thanked her friend Kilowan along with Esau who she said was instrumental in the arrest of Oosthuizen.
Esau said Pienaar was like a daughter to him and he attributed much of the success of Oosthuizen’s capture to criminal intelligence.