A key witness in the murder case of Scarborough surfer David Wolfromm has been shot dead in Ocean View on Sunday.
The body of Jocelyn Claasen, 27, was found in an open field in Andromeda Way at 5am. She was nine months pregnant.
Ms Claasen was one of two women who witnessed the hijacking and murder of Mr Wolfromm on Slangkop Road near the reservoir, on Wednesday May 8 last year.
According to Ocean View police spokesman, Sergeant Leon Fortuin, the accused in that case, Wilson “Stoffel” Wilschut, 30, and Mark Williams, 33, are due to appear in the Wynberg Regional Court later this month. It’s unclear when Ms Claasen was due to testify.
The accused face charges of murder, hijacking, malicious damage to property and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Sergeant Fortuin said police were investigating Ms Claasen’s death, but he could not say whether her killing was linked to the Wolfromm murder case.
“At this stage, it is all speculation,” he said.
Witnesses had the option to go into witness protection, but many chose not to, he said, declining to comment further on the matter.
Mr Wolfromm was attacked and shot after a surf at Witsand Beach. His attackers loaded his body into the boot of his Nissan X-Trail
covered it with a towel, and then drove off in the stolen vehicle. It is unclear whether he was still alive at the time.
They then picked up two women to “show off their new car”.The women only realised there was a person in the back seat once they were in the car. They tried to get out, but the two men would not budge, and in the chaos the X-Trail hit another vehicle.
The women escaped and ran down the dirt road towards a reservoir where they hid in the bushes.
They saw the men set the car on fire with the person still inside (“Farewell paddle-out for surfer,”Echo,May16,2019).
Police arrested the two accused days after the murder.
In June last year, Ms Claasen told the Weekend Argus she was suffering from nightmares and flashbacks after witnessing the murder.
She said at the time that she had not received any counselling and did not have any support from her family.
Founder of the Ocean View Care Centre, Johann Kikillus, said he knew Ms Claasen well. Her 5-year-old son was in the care centre and the boy had been trying to put on a brave face on Monday morning.
“This trauma runs deep in all of us. Every year that our school has been in existence, we have had several families experience this horrible trauma. As a result, our children are beginning to believe that this is normal life,” he said.
Ocean View Community Police Forum (CPF) chairwoman Kathy Cronje, said the community was in shock after the shooting and people were living in fear after a double gang-related murder in Masiphumelele two weeks ago.
Residents had a role to play by reporting crime, she said. Anyone with information can anonymously call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.
Ms Claasen’s family could not be reached for comment.
