Popular PE musician murdered in Cape Town

By Julian Rademeyer and Herald Correspondents

PORT Elizabeth music and church communities were shocked by the brutal hijack-slaying of talented young musician Derrick van Niekerk and the rape of one of his companions.

Derrick, 24, a customer services manager at Oakley Africa in Port Elizabeth and guitarist for well-known local band 4 Minute Warning, was shot in the head around 9pm on Friday after he, Kate Mey, 21, a Cape Town student formerly from Port Elizabeth, and a 22-year- old woman were hijacked at traffic lights in Claremont, near the upmarket Cavendish Square shopping centre.

Guitarist Derrick was shot at point-blank range by one of the three hijackers who then drove the women to Khayelitsha where they were assaulted and the 22-year-old – who worked with Derrick – was raped.

Last night, the remaining 4 Minute Warning band members – drummer Albert de Bruyn, vocalist Sven Duncker, bass guitarist Paulo Dias and manager Hayley Siebers – said they were heartbroken.

“We miss Derrick very much. He was like a brother to us. He was always positive and always the one that had us laughing about the most stupid things. When the band was down Derrick would always lift us up and keep us going.

“There is nothing bad to say about Derrick. He was a one- of-a-kind type of person, with a golden heart. We miss him and will never forget him. He’s our brother,” they said.

The band members have been inundated with calls and e-mails from musicians and friends across South Africa.

Steven “Chappy” Adshade, who owns Oakley Africa, said the company was offering a R50 000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the attackers. Police have offered a further R20 000.

“This is such a terrible tragedy. I’m still in shock and everyone at Oakley is sickened and horrified at what has happened,” Mr Adshade said. He said Derrick and the rape victim had driven to Cape Town last week to watch British pop group Jamiroquai in concert on Wednesday night.

“They were staying on for the weekend and visiting friends in Blouberg,” he said. Miss Mey is the younger sister of former Weekend Post reporter Recah Theodosiou, who is currently touring the US with Port Elizabeth band The Benjamin Gate. She was a member of the Harvest Christian Church in Port Elizabeth, while Derrick had visited the church several times and was good friends with The Benjamin Gate band members.

“Apparently the girl he was with had just phoned her mum in Port Elizabeth about 8pm to say hello – the attack happened an hour later,” Mr Adshade said.

“Derrick’s father has heart problems and had a heart attack a few months ago. We are all worried about how he is taking this. Derrick was a popular guy. He was a super, humble, mature guy and very good at his job, considering his young age.”

Police have appealed for help in tracking down the three hijackers, in what they say is an isolated attack in an upmarket area.

After shooting Derrick, the killers dragged his body out of the car into the street and drove the two young women to Khayelitsha, where they were tied to a tree.

The 22-year-old woman was raped by one of the men. The women were robbed of their cellphones and bank cards, then beaten and forced to reveal their bank PIN numbers.

The hijackers drove off in Derrick’s Opel Monza, which was later found torched in Gugulethu.

One of the women managed to untie herself and released her friend. They stumbled to a nearby petrol station and contacted police. They were taken to the district surgeon for medical treatment and to a Christian counselling centre. The rape victim was admitted to a local hospital and her parents rushed to Cape Town on Saturday. Derrick’s distraught parents are also believed to have travelled to Cape Town.

Investigating officer Inspector Saadick Benjamin said they had no description of the men and appealed to the public to come forward with any information that might lead to their capture.

An only child, Derrick, who lived in Newton Park and attended Alexander Road High School before matriculating from Russell Road Technical College, had been the customer service manager at Oakley since March.

It was the second hijacking in the city this month. On October 10, two men hijacked Abrie Marais, 37, in Green Point. He was thrown over a cliff, but survived.

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