As the chilling details emerged in court on Wednesday of how Knysna murder accused Mervyn Bock allegedly disposed of his girlfriend’s body, her anguished family and loved ones sitting in the public gallery listened in horror.
According to the investigating officer who took the stand to oppose Bock’s bail application, CCTV footage captured from outside the apartment block where he lived at the time showed the accused carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in a blanket.
Underneath the blanket, a pair of hands and what appeared to be the victim’s head hung out.
The gruelling testimony was heard in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court.
Bock, 40, is accused of murdering Velia Angelique Strydom on about December 5 2025.
Her decomposed body was found some days later in the bushes near a gravel road at Red Bridge in Knysna on December 12.
According to the state, a witness claimed to have been with Strydom and Bock at a club on December 5.
While they were having a lot of fun, Bock reportedly showed signs of agitation and annoyance towards his girlfriend and allegedly eventually became aggressive.
Detective Mqondisi Dyani told the court that according to the witness, Bock allegedly grabbed Strydom, 39, and forcefully ushered her out the club.
She believed they were headed back to his place.
Dyani said this was confirmed by the video footage which showed him entering the flat.
The next day, the footage shows him exiting the home alone.
He then returns some time later driving a vehicle he borrowed from a friend.
After re-entering the flat, footage shows him carrying what appears to be a body and placing it in the vehicle.
The state claims he then allegedly used the vehicle to transport Strydom’s body to where he ultimately dumped her.
On December 12, the police discovered Strydom’s body, already in an advanced state of decomposition.
While her friends were concerned about her whereabouts, Bock reportedly reassured them that she was safe and with him, but that there was something wrong with her phone and that was why they could not reach her.
The court heard further that he had told a friend that he was feeling unwell and in trouble, but he could not explain the issue.
On December 24, the police appealed to the public for assistance in identifying the body.
According to the information released by the police, the deceased woman was wearing a floral skirt.
She also had white nail polish on. However, she was topless.
The friend that had been with them at the club confirmed that Strydom had been wearing a floral skirt that night.
The detective said he had contacted the accused, who told him that he was in Cape Town and that he would only be able to talk to the police on January 1, after Strydom’s funeral.
“On January 1, when the police arrived at his flat to arrest him, the accused tried to escape and jumped off the balcony,” Dyani said.
They then confiscated his phone and found a disturbing Google search history which showed Bock had allegedly tried to look up “how long will it take to heal from strangulation”, “what to do after being strangled”, and “how long does the body take to get cold after being dead?”.
A further search showed he had reportedly typed into the search engine: “why does the body get big after death”, “successful murder cases”, and “people who get away with murder”.
Due to time constraints, the matter was postponed to February 16 for further evidence to be led in the formal bail application.
Bock remains in custody.
The Herald
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