Suspect appears in court after Plettenberg Bay double murder

As the man accused of being linked to the murder of an elderly Plettenberg Bay couple made his first appearance in court on Monday, the Bitou community has condemned the heinous crime.

Christiaan Branders appeared in the Uniondale Magistrate’s Court in connection with charges of possession of suspected stolen property as well as possession of drugs.

The case was postponed to April 20 for further investigation and for the case to be joined with the cases of murder to be heard in Plettenberg Bay.

The 34-year-old from Wittedrif was charged in Uniondale and faces murder charges in Plettenberg Bay.

His arrest came on the same day that the bodies of Dr Jane Luck, 71, and her husband Rolf, 77, were discovered in their farmhouse in Glen Loerie, The Crags, near Plettenberg Bay on Wednesday last week.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Christopher Spies said Branders remained in custody.

“The police [allegedly] found a small quantity of drugs during the initial arrest, hence a charge of possession of drugs,” Spies said.

“Furthermore, the accused is expected to appear in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrates’ court on Tuesday, March 31, for the double murder.

“More charges could be added as the investigation unfolds.”

Spies said the discovery of the bodies was made after the couple’s Mercedes-Benz vehicle was captured by a licence plate recognition (LPR) camera travelling at high speed along the R339 in the direction of Uniondale.

“A co-ordinated effort between police and community safety structures led to the pursuit of the identified vehicle,” Spies said.

“The vehicle later overturned near Uniondale, where the driver fled the scene on foot.

“He was apprehended shortly thereafter.

“The 34-year-old suspect from The Crags is currently being detained in Uniondale.”

Bitou mayor Jessica Kamkam has sent condolences to the Luck family and condemned the heinous act.

“The people of Plettenberg Bay cannot continue to live in fear, and we cannot allow cases like this to become just another statistic.

“I am deeply outraged and saddened by this brutal and senseless double murder in The Crags.

“Such acts of violence are unacceptable and strike at the very heart of our community.

“My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family.

“No family should have to endure such a horrific loss, especially under these circumstances.

“Our elderly deserve dignity, care and protection in their later years, and it is deeply distressing that their lives ended in this way,” Kamkam said.

Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Group head of operations Otto Olivier said there had been a power outage at the time of the incident.

This had affected the Lucks’ electric gate which might have presented the opportunity for the attack.

“I think nobody would have even known those two people were deceased or what happened if they didn’t follow the vehicle.

“If they didn’t think the vehicle was suspicious, and did a welfare check and reported their suspicions.

“I think everybody in the community is tremendously shocked about this.

“I think the only little light is that the suspect has been caught so quickly because of all the people working together from security, the police, law enforcement, provincial traffic, the farm and neighbourhood watches.”

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) in the Garden Route also condemned the double murder.

“[This] is a tragic example of the growing level of violence and brutality affecting rural communities, which is increasingly spilling over into the Western Cape.

“Helpless elderly people being attacked in their own homes raises serious concerns about the safety of Garden Route residents,” the party said in a statement.