Cape Town - The father of 18-year-old Cassidy Hartzenberg on Tuesday broke his silence after his son’s appearance in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court.
The nephew of slain magistrate Romay van Rooyen stands accused of killing his aunt at her Marina Da Gama home on September 9, after she allegedly refused to give him money.
He will be spending the holidays in custody as an awaiting-trial prisoner with the matter having been postponed to February 16.
He faces two counts of murder and theft after an investigation by the Hawks into the 50-year-old’s death.
Cassidy is the son of Van Rooyen’s sister, Tania, and was a pall-bearer at her funeral.
After his son’s appearance, father Deon Hartzenberg said: “We never expected this. For me, it’s a matter of they are going to keep postponing it and it seems like they are playing for time to make a stronger case.”
Hartzenberg said they had no information about the incident itself.
“We know as much as the media, everything has been kept away from us. We are being kept up to date with certain things about how the case is progressing but with regards to the evidence – we have no idea.”
Cassidy is being represented by Legal Aid lawyer Chane Africa. Hartzenberg said the family could not afford a private lawyer.
“They are too expensive,” he said.
He spoke about allegations of his son’s drug abuse, “I’m going to be honest with you, if he had to be a druggie, I would’ve known, that’s all I can say but if he did abuse it now and then, I’m going to be honest with you, the time I am at home, I really don’t see him in any state”.
“Most of the time he was Cassidy for me.”
The matter was postponed for investigators to obtain two witness statements, DNA results and crime scene photos, according to State prosecutor Keenen Petersen.
Previously, the Western Cape NPA have indicated the evidence they have thus far points only to Cassidy.
While his wife Tania avoided the media, Hartzenberg said, “we are just taking it one day at a time at the moment, we never expected this but this is the situation we are in now and the mere fact that they say they have evidence, we just have to take it from there”.
“From myself and my wife’s side we can just take everything as it comes right now.”