A group of three young, healthy people in their mid-twenties looking forward to break free from the strict COVID-19 regulations for a typical relaxed long-weekend of booze and braai at a remote river lodge near Kareedouw in April 2020;
Two devastated families battling to come to grips with their loss after two of the young people, Jéan Vosloo (25) and his fiance, Mari Hoon (28), inexplicably died together in the shower;
Kevin Pretorius (52), the owner of the rustic river lodge, Kouga Kliphuis, suddenly and out of the blue charged and convicted of double homicide. Why? He allegedly didn’t check the chimney flue of the bathroom shower during the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions when the lodge was officially closed for guests . He had to foresee a tragedy after he, under duress, but prompted by neighbourly goodwill, gave in to the pleas of his neighbour’s son, Stephan du Plessis (30), to use the Kouga Kliphuis’ braai facilities for free at their own risk and responsibility as the lodge was officially closed and abandoned during the Covid-19 lockdown.
This is basically the background to the tragedy that occured on the night op 25 April 2020 at the popular Kouga Kliphuis on the farm Zuuranys outside Kareedouw. The fact that the young couple’s “illegal travelling and gathering” against strict lockdown regulations were done at their own risk and responsibility, knowing that the Kliphuis had been standing closed and unattended for over a month and that no maintenance, cleaning services or bedding/linen was done or available, somehow never came out in the sensational media frenzy that followed. Some news outlets even still wrote earlier this year that the couple had “booked the cottage for a romantic long weekend”.
Neither was the fact mentioned that the gas geyser’s chimney flue that had been broken or vandalised by probably baboons during lockdown, went unnoticed – even when one of the group members themselves turned on the water at the back of the house and put the batteries into the geyser and turned on the gas.
The question is, how come the owner is now held responsible for NOT checking the geyser and other equipment daily when the place was, according to legal restrictions, officially locked up and closed to visitors? That would imply that anyone who leaves their house/property locked and unattended while going away or during a national pandemic, could be held accountable for any unforeseen misfortune or breakage that occur when a friend or impostor stay there at their own risk?
Something is VERY wrong with this picture, especially when no formal arrangements had been made and the owner clearly stated he was NOT to be bothered and was NOT going to assist them with anything during his own well-earned long weekend. That was the condition – if you insist on using the facilities during lockdown, you are on your own and it is your own responsibility.
The media hype and premature focus on gas leakages due to “faulty gas geysers” which was sensationalized by the media long before any toxicology or autopsy reports were available, set the stage for the consistent narrative in all media outlets for the next five years – only focusing on the pain and loss of the parents and a crusade to find and blame a villain who caused it. The gas geyser – which was made for inside AND outdoor installation – was functioning perfectly with a chimney flue for decades without any problems while the lodge was in full operation.
The amount of liquor – including the infamous Karriebeer – that was found on the scene and the high alcohol levels in the deceased’s blood were totally ignored in all media coverage.
When Kevin Pretorius suddenly realised he is being accused of, and portrayed as a murderer, he had no idea what was going on and what to do. He knew no lawyers, asked around and friends recommended an attorney, Alwyn Griebenow, in Port Elizabeth. Kevin didn’t even know Griebenow was a well-known criminal defence attorney at the time.
Kevin’s first encounter with the judicial system was, in his own words, totally unnerving. When the public prosecutor, Johan Jansen, heard whom Kevin had appointed to represent him, Jansen’s comment alerted Kevin for the first time to what he was up against. Jansen allegedly remarked that if Kevin “needs one of the best criminal attorneys right from the start, you must be guilty of something or hiding something”. Now, for any public prosecutor or legal representative to make such a remark before ANY evidence except mass media hysteria has been presented, is in itself an atrocity to justice and a fair trial.
The premature and frenetic focus on gas installations and the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning that overshadowed the court hearing from the start, was so intense that the case soon became marketing material for geyser manufacturers and gas installation companies to promote their “safe, legal products and services”.
This is published on SAPAC (South African Professionals And Contractors ) website: https://sapac.co.za/blogs/news/kareedouw-guesthouse-murder-conviction?srsltid=AfmBOoqUbpRsyXK2DEA-jYBPF2ruGkuR3u2oWl4EXXVvvc9nfNS05Rj1
The State’s entire case is based on the testimony of four people (“friends of friends of friends of the Vosloo family”), who suddenly came forward after the tragedy to tell their stories on a Carte Blanche programme two months after the tragedy. They claimed they have smelled gas in the kitchen or bathroom during their stay in the Kliphuis at different times in 2019 and that they became severely ill. They also claimed they informed Kevin Pretorius of the gas smells. After the well-publicized tragedy, they claimed to have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning although none of them could provide any toxicology reports to substantiate their claims.
- Unlike gas leaks where natural gas with a distinctive smell can easily be detected, carbon monoxide is odourless and undetectable to the human senses. Kevin testified that he regularly checked all gas installations in the kitchen and bathroom and everything was working perfectly. None of the guests who stayed there in 2019 before or after the complainants, experienced any problems. Food poisoning, sun stroke and various other illnesses present similar initial symptoms and carbon monoxide poisoning can only be specified and confirmed by toxicology reports.
Further investigation by independent investigators revealed that Mari Hoon was chatting via Whats-app with an old trusted family friend in Pretoria from 22:25 until 23: 19 on that fatal Saturday night. The amicable conversation started with belated birthday wishes, reminiscing about earlier birthday parties with mutual friends and the Covid-19 lockdown rules which forced everyone to work from home. Mari asked Werner why he didn’t congratulate her on her last birthday on 13 April when she turned 28 – almost 30. He replied that he was unsure whether he was allowed to, referring to Jéan’s alleged possessiveness. He also asked whether her phone was “hers” again to use. She replied “now again, yes”.
On a question whether Mari wanted to discuss something specific or just wanted to catch up, she replied that she had lots to say, but wasn’t sure if she could. Werner replied that it sounds deep and asked what’s wrong. Mari’s last reply was at 23:19 when she said it is deep – can I tell you? At that stage, Werner momentarily fell asleep and only replied at 23:42 to apologise and asked again what’s wrong. But she never replied and he only later heard that Mari and Jéan were found dead in the shower the next morning.
Werner’s last message wasn’t read or opened until a week later (3 May 2020) when Mari’s phone was probably returned to her family.
This evidence that somehow never came out in court contradicts all previous testimony and assumptions of time of death and does not gel with the overall picture that the couple went to shower together around 21:00 and were only found the next morning on the bathroom floor. The only witness, Stephan du Plessis, testified that Jéan went to shower that evening around 20:30 and that Mari joined him around 21:00. According to Stephan he then went to sleep and only woke up the next morning when he went to look for them. He allegedly saw their lifeless bodies lying together on the bathroom floor and the door was locked from inside.
Underneath photos show the spacious, well-ventilated open-plan bathroom and shower with a huge water-outlet in the shower wall to drain the water which, with the shower window, adds to the ventilation.
This scenario leaves even more questions and improbabilities. It would mean that Mari, after showering with Jéan, went outside again to chat with Werner until 23:19 and then returned to the shower again? Where was Jéan when she spoke for an hour to an old friend? Still alone in the shower where he initially went at 21:00? Was the gas shower running all this time? Why would Mari lock the bathroom door from the inside IF she returned to join Jéan again in the shower? Was the bathroom door truly locked from the inside and by whom if only Stephan could testify to it? By Mari or Jéan? Why were their clothes found folded and stacked almost military style with the shoes on top if the couple were to have a romantic late-night shower together?
The gaps, contradictions and improbabilities in the State’s case were questioned from day one by everyone who knew the Pretorius family and the hundreds of visitors who have spent weekends and holidays at the Kouga Kliphuis in the last 25 years. None of them ever believed that Kevin’s “negligence” had caused the demise of the couple, nor that he would allow people to stay in the Kliphuis if he was aware of a “faulty or missing geyser flue”.
The numerous flowery inscriptions of grateful guests in the Kliphuis Guest Books are testimony to their appreciation for a wonderful time. How can hundreds of guests stay in the same Kliphuis over a period of 25 years without a single incident of gas or carbon monoxide poisoning . . . until that fateful Freedom Day long weekend during the height of the Covid-19 restrictions on 25 April 2020 when everybody was supposed to wear masks, stay indoors and isolated and forbidden to travel or buy alcohol and other “non-essential” products?
Stephan du Plessis’s ambiguous testimony that he doesn’t know or isn’t sure whether there ever was a chimney flue in the shower to safely expel harmful combustion gases like carbon monoxide to the outside, is ridiculous on several counts. He HAS stayed and showered at the Kliphuis before and would have been affected by carbon monoxide if there hasn’t been a chimney flue. He never mentioned if he also showered at the Kliphuis on that fateful day. If he did, why wasn’t he also affected? If he didn’t, it means he never was in the shower to know whether the chimney flue was still in place or not?
Remnants of the concertina chimney flue was still lying outside the bathroom of the deserted building when these photos were taken earlier this month – more than five years after the fatal incident in April 2020. Why was this crucial evidence never collected by the Police and presented in court?
The fact that the State bulldozed this media-driven, grossly one-sided and sensationalized case into a “groundbreaking” double homicide conviction while there are still so many contradictions and unanswered questions, is unbelievable. That the case was prolonged for over five years almost destroyed a well-loved and respected Kareedouw farmer and father of two teenage daughters himself. Kevin’s humble nature and his bewildered confusion, ignorance of legal matters and disbelief that he is actually accused, charged and convicted of murder, was cruelly portrayed in the media as “arrogance and lack of remorse”.
His children suffered equally due to the continuous defamatory and hateful comments on various social media platforms. All that kept him going was his unwavering trust in God, the love and support of his family, friends and the entire Kouga community, as well as his belief that the truth will ultimately prevail
Magistrate Vuziwe Mnyani has postponed sentencing until February 2026, while the defense is poised to move for acquittal in their appeal.
- The defense states that the State failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused’s version is not reasonably possibly true and therefore, that the accused is entitled to be acquitted. The defense also accused the State of short-circuiting the legal process by not properly informing the accused of all the charges with sufficient detail to allow proper answering of such charges. The charge sheet is accordingly fatally defective.
“The accused’s version cannot be rejected only on the basis that it is improbable,
but only once the trial court has found, on credible evidence, that the explanation is
false beyond a reasonable doubt. The corollary is that, if the accused’s version is
reasonably possibly true, the accused is entitled to be acquitted.”
The accused was not informed of the charges of murder “with sufficient detail to
answer such charges” in that it is not mentioned in the charge sheet how the
accused allegedly killed the deceased. The charge sheet is, accordingly, fatally
defective and a conviction on the charges of murder is, accordingly, not competent
in casu.
[8] The accused was also not informed of the charges of culpable homicide (the
competent verdicts) “with sufficient detail to answer such charges” or even that the
State would, in the alternative, be seeking a conviction on such charges. It would be
grossly unfair, in the circumstances, to convict the accused on charges of culpable
homicide. A conviction on charges of culpable homicide is, accordingly, simply not
competent in casu.
[9] It was the duty of the State to properly inform the accused of the charges and it
cannot avail the State to argue that the accused could have requested further
particulars of the charges.
- Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is odourless, colourless, and tasteless, making it undetectable to the human senses.20, 21 It is produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels, such as wood, coal, and natural gas. Common household sources include heating and cooking equipment, such as furnaces, wood stoves, charcoal grills, gas stoves and heaters, and generators, as well as vehicle exhaust.1, 2, 3, 21 Unintentional fatal carbon monoxide poisonings mostly occur within residences and are more common during the winter months when heating systems are employed, windows are closed, and ventilation is reduced.2, 5 High levels of carbon monoxide or prolonged periods of exposure to the gas can quickly lead to severe bodily harm through multiple mechanisms, such as interrupting the delivery of oxygen throughout the body, impeding the use of oxygen, causing oxidative stress, or impairing cellular function.21, 22, 23 Mild carbon monoxide poisoning often presents with non-descript symptoms, such as nausea, headache, and fatigue, and more severe poisoning can manifest in several ways, including loss of consciousness, acute cardiac events, and death.20, 21, 22 Although prompt removal from the source of exposure and hyperbaric oxygen therapy have been recommended as two strategies for reversing the effects of, and reducing lasting harm due to, carbon monoxide poisoning, there is currently no true antidote, underscoring the importance of prevention.22, 23
- Ironically, Kareedouw Karrie featured prominently on the Kwêla Kyknet programme five years ago when Kareedouw was one of the finalists in the Kwêla Town of the Year competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf-6WXuSaIE
What is “Karrie Beer”?
African mead biotechnology and indigenous knowledge systems in iQhilika process development
Ek kan geen regverdiging vir die hof uitspraak sien nie. Dalk tyd dat Kevin se span die hofstukke aanvra. In sulke gevalle verdwyn hofstukke en bandopnames gewoonlik, of is onvolledig.
Hulle het die hofstukke en dis hoekom hulle appeleer. Enigste geval in wêreld waar iemand aan voorbedagte dubbele moord skuldig bevind word terwyl nie een van die vrae ooit beantwoord is nie. Tyd vir Stephan se selfoonrekords en leuenverklikkertoets, want hier is soveel dinge vir so lank toegesmeer dat dit skandalig is en ‘n verkragting van die hele juridiese stelsel. Wie het die doodsertifikate onderteken en die vinnige verassing voordat kernvrae beantwoord is? Is daar vir dwelms getoets?
Weereens leer ek vandag mens moet jou opinie somtyds vir jouself hou totdat jy al die feite weet. Geoordeel en nie ‘n idee gehad nie. Wat n onreg aan die man en sy gesinnetjie 😢 Ek hoop vir regverdige geregtigheid
Die HELE saak sal hersien moet word van Dag 1 af – lanklaas soveel korrupsie en toesmeerdery in enige saak teengekom en die staat se hele saak het platgeval en geboemerang omdat nie EEN van die kastige “getuies” OOIT positief getoets is vir koolstofmonoksied-vergiftiging nie en almal kastig gas geruik het, terwyl koolstofmonoksied totaal reukloos is en nie een van die klaers se medegaste en kinders wat OOK gestort het, enigiets oorgekom het nie. WAT het met Mari Hoon gebeur nadat haar vertroulike Whatsapp-gesprek om 23:19 met ‘n familievriend onderbreek is en sy net stil geword het? Wat was so “diep” dat sy dit daai tyd van die nag met hom wou bespreek terwyl sy en haar verloofde kastig op ‘n “romantiese wegbreek” was? NIKS van die saak maak ENIGE sin nie omdat daar van die begin af gelieg en dinge toegesmeer is. Swakste ondersoekwerk denkbaar. Waar was die Rottweiler-hond die hele nag en wie het na hom omgesien as Stephan kastig deur alles “geslaap” het? Die arme hond is glo kort daarna uitgesit omdat hy skielik so aggressief geword het . . . ? As honde en muremaar net kon praat.