Charles died just after ten that evening. He was forty-three years old.
Detective Sergeant Hendrik Delport of the Putfontein detective branch took charge of the investigation. Blood samples were taken from Charles, sketches made at the scene, and a police photographer photographed Charles’s body. I later saw the photos in the police docket. The doctor had turned him around during a futile resuscitation attempt, so that Charles was now lying on his back.
At a quarter to midnight that evening the police removed his body.
On Saturday, Charles’s mother, Bettie, came from Kuruman to Elsa’s house and on Sunday she was taken to her son’s house. She wanted to form her own opinion of what had happened there and questioned Gerda and Charlize about the tragic events of the Friday evening.
The police registered a case of culpable homicide and on Monday, 24 June 1991, the police began to take sworn statements from all those involved. Bettie also gave a statement, concerning her conversations with Gerda and Charlize.
Charlize signed each page of her handwritten statement. Both she and Gerda declared that Charles had been drunk and had wanted to shoot them with a shotgun.
The following statements are a truthful translation of the statements as they were taken down and made available to me from the police docket.
Charlize’s statement read:
I, Miss Charlize Theron, a white female of fifteen years old, living at Plot 56, 7th Road, Cloverdene, tel [omitted], High School Die Kruin, Johannesburg, std 8, declare:
On Friday 1991–06–21 at about 21:30 my mother and I arrived at our home. We looked for the house key. We have a special place where we hide it, but we could not find the key.
We then went to Mrs Malan at the corner of Cloverdene Road and Third Road. When we arrived there, my father (the deceased) and his brother, Mr Danie Theron, were there.
They were sitting in the kitchen and they were drinking liquor. I am not certain exactly what kind of liquor they were drinking.
My mother asked my father for the key. I could hear that my father was aggressive towards my mother, but she got the key of the house, and went back to our vehicle alone.
Then I heard my father’s brother, Danie Theron, say to my father: “Why do you take her shit?”
They spoke some more, but I couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. I left the house and returned home with my mother. After we had arrived home, my mother locked all the doors carefully.
We put on our pyjamas and then the telephone rang. My mother said that we should not answer it. We let the phone ring. After a very long time the phone stopped ringing. Immediately afterwards it began to ring again. I picked up the phone then.
It was my father. He began to argue with me again and asked why I had not greeted the people. I wanted to explain to him that I hadn’t seen the other people. But he kept raising his voice. Then he asked where my mother was. He said: “Where’s that bloody bitch?”
I asked him to stop talking like that, please. He said: “Fuck you all!” He said it quite a few times and then he threw down the phone.
I told my mother that I was afraid. She tried to keep me calm. At that point someone hammered on the kitchen door. I told my mother that it was my father and that I was afraid of him.
I got into bed and told my mother to tell my father that I was asleep. I switched off the light.
My mother went to the kitchen. I heard my mother open the kitchen door, but the safety door was still locked. I heard him (my father) ask my mother why she had not left the door open for him. My mother answered that she and I were alone. Then my father began to curse and swear. I had never heard him swear like that. My mother told him that he was scaring her and that she had never seen him like that.
At that he shouted that if she did not open the door he was going to shoot her dead. I heard the door being slammed. Then a shot rang out. My mother ran down the passage. I heard her wardrobe door opening. The next moment she stormed into my bedroom. Another shot rang out.
Then we heard my father hammer on the door [of Charlize’s bedroom]. My mother pushed the door shut. He tried to push the door open. The next moment another shot rang out. It went right through my bedroom door and through my window.
At that my father said he was going to shoot both of us dead with his shotgun. I heard him go to the main bedroom.
My mother said she was scared he was going to kill us. Then she also left the room. The next minute I heard a lot of shots. I don’t know how many, but it was a lot. Then I heard my mother scream. It was a hysterical scream. I came out of my room too.
When I got to the passage, I saw my father’s brother, Danie Theron, there. My mother sat in a corner of the bedroom. I ran to her and asked: “What happened?” My mother was crying and said: “Charlize, I shot them, I shot them.” Then I saw my father’s body on the floor next to the bed. There was blood too.
I shouted to my mother that we had to get away. I grabbed the keys of one of our vehicles. When I came outside, I saw my father’s brother getting into his pickup.
My mother shouted: “Go and call Uncle Wick (our neighbour)!” So I did. He phoned the police.
The body did not sustain any further wounds or injuries in my presence. I also want to mention that at no point did my mother drink any alcohol. She was sober.
I am familiar with and understand the contents of the statement. I have no objection to the oath. I consider the oath binding to my conscience.
In many respects Gerda’s statement corresponds with Charlize’s. (They were at home alone when Charles arrived and the shooting began.)
I, Mrs Gerda Jacoba Alletta [sic] Theron, a white female, ID [omitted], living at Plot 56, 7th Road, Cloverdene, tel. [omitted], own business at Plot 56, 7th Road, Cloverdene, declare under oath:
On Friday 1991–06–21 at about 21:30 my daughter, Charlize, and I arrived at our home at the above address. When we arrived there, we could not find our house key where we usually left it.
Thereupon we went to Mrs Malan at the corner of Cloverdene Road and Third Road, Cloverdene. When we arrived there, I found my late husband, Charles Jacobus Theron, ID [omitted], there, drinking with his brother, Mr Danie Theron. I am not sure what it was [they were drinking]. I noticed, however, that his speech was slurred and I could see from his face that he had been drinking. His face was very red.
I asked him where our house key was. He told me to wait, as he just wanted to finish his drink.
But we did not want to wait. Mrs Malan gave me the key to our house, and I returned to our vehicle. My daughter joined me and we went home.
At home I unlocked the doors and then locked them again securely, and we put on our pyjamas. Soon afterwards the telephone began to ring. I told my daughter not to pick it up. After a long while the telephone stopped ringing. Immediately afterwards it began to ring again. My daughter then picked it up, and I concluded that she was talking to my husband. He argued with her and after a while he hung up on her.
At about 22:00
