A former police officer-turned car dealer who posted on social media that he wanted to be considered as one of 49 SA asylum seekers in the US because he “feared arrest for the alleged murder of his partner” has been denied bail in the Mthatha magistrate’s court.
Mauritz Andries Rheeder, 57, principal of the Mahindra dealership in the Eastern Cape town, is accused of murdering his 50-year-old partner, Riana Nel, a former police detective.
The presiding magistrate, Melikaya Dyakobi, told Rheeder on Wednesday that the case against him was a gender-based-violence matter and that GBV was a pandemic engulfing the country.
“The court has painted a clear picture of GBV. Mthatha is a hotspot. In fact, if GBV was food, it would be a staple food in Mthatha,” Dyakobi said.
Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali told the Dispatch earlier that Nel had visited Rheeder at his workplace on May 31.
“Following a quarrel, Rheeder allegedly assaulted her. He transported her to hospital only a day later and she was admitted for treatment.
“At the time, Rheeder allegedly claimed she had been attacked by unknown thugs at the dealership.”
On June 6, he visited Nel in hospital, allegedly bringing her refreshments.
However, after consuming the items, Nel reportedly become severely ill and died later the same day, Tyali said.
Rheeder was then arrested and charged with Nel’s murder, and has been in custody since.
In an initial affidavit, which Dyakobi read out in court, Rheeder said he had no previous convictions or pending cases against him.
He also said he had a lump in his chest and was undergoing chemotherapy for prostate cancer. However, he had not been receiving proper medical attention and treatment since his arrest.
He said he was in constant pain and described the cells where he was being held as “appalling”.
He said he had not been given sufficient details on Nel’s death, and told the court that he intended to plead not guilty when the trial commenced.
He was twice divorced and had two children, one of whom was still studying at a tertiary institution. If he was not granted bail, he could lose his job and his children would lose their support.
He said he was not a flight risk and did not own any property or investments outside SA.
“I do not want to live like a refugee [from the law].”
The state opposed bail. An affidavit submitted by the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Mzoxolo Ntsika, said Rheeder had posted on Facebook that he feared being arrested for Nel’s murder.
He also wished “to be considered as one of the asylum seekers in America”.
According to Ntsika’s affidavit, during an argument in the flat Rheeder rented from his employers, he had allegedly assaulted Nel with an old bicycle, hitting her on her head, face and back.
A security guard on duty heard the commotion, went to investigate and was allegedly told by Rheeder “not to pay attention to anything he had seen”.
When the guard, a state witness, inquired if he could keep the bicycle, Rheeder allegedly told him to wash Nel’s blood off it.
Ntsika also said Rheeder had no direct contact with his children, and that he had a previous conviction for theft in 1993 for which he had received an 18-month sentence.
In a supplementary affidavit, Rheeder admitted to his previous conviction, but said the sentence had been suspended for five years.
Denying Rheeder bail, Dyakobi said the court had been misled on the previous conviction.
He said Rheeder could take up the issue of not receiving proper medical care with the authorities where he was being held because it had nothing to do with his bail application.
Rheeder was remanded and the case was postponed to September 8.
Daily Dispatch
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