Leenta Nel, sister of the late Teresa van Breda, talks to YOU about her belief in her nephew Henri van Breda’s version of events
COULD my sister have raised a killer?
Of course this thought has crossed her mind, she says – how could it not have?
“Yes, I have wondered: could it be a possibility?”
It’s a question many people want an answer to – an answer they’ll get once the court case involving Henri van Breda (22) finally comes to an end.
But for this woman, there’s a lot more at stake than curiosity and intrigue: the woman murdered alongside her husband and son that day was her sister.
Leenta Nel (63) now lives in Canada but she’s in South Africa for a few weeks to attend her nephew’s trial. The state alleges Henri axed his parents, Martin (54) and Teresa (55), and his brother, Rudi (22), to death and tried to kill his younger sister, Marli (then 16).
Since she arrived she’s often been told she looks and sounds like Teresa and it moves her every time she hears it. She misses her gentle-natured, cheerful younger sister more than words can express, she says over a cup of coffee at the V&A Waterfront after spending the day in court.
There’s something she wants to get off her chest straight away, she says suddenly.
“Although I may wonder if Henri could be responsible for murdering my sister as well as his dad and brother, I do know the person who did that definitely wasn’t the Henri I know.
“If it was him, something must have happened in his brain that night to make him act totally differently. Because the next morning, when my brother André [du Toit] saw Henri, he was his normal self. He was the Henri we’ve all known since he was little.”
Esta historia es de la edición October 5, 2017 de YOU South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 5, 2017 de YOU South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life