Cecil Motsepe

Cecil Motsepe

The plot is thickening in the saga of "Vaal terror farmer" Derick James Steyn.

A white inspector from the Meyerton police station is being investigated for allegedly submitting a false withdrawal statement that saw attempted murder charges against Steyn being withdrawn.

Steyn was recently charged with assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm after his domestic worker, Thembi Ndlovu, accused him of assaulting her. Ndlovu told Sowetan that her only crime was to quit her job.

Despite having three previous convictions for the same offence, Steyn was released without a formal bail hearing.

This prompted the police to revisit previous cases involving him. They found that an attempted murder case, in which he allegedly shot one of his labourers, had been mysteriously withdrawn.

His alleged victim denied writing any withdrawal statement.

Superintendent Mncedisi Mabala said they had already opened a docket against the inspector whose name is known to Sowetan.

"We have already sent the statement to handwriting experts. As soon as we get results, we will act," Mabala said.

Ndlovu's legal representative, Godfrey Machimana, blew the whistle on Steyn's alleged friendship with Marius Serfontein, the only magistrate in town.

This saw Serfontein being moved to another court after allegations that he unprocedurally released Steyn hours after the latter was arrested in connection with an attempted murder case.

The chief prosecutor responsible for Serfontein's area of jurisdiction, Johan Venter, said at the time: "All I can confirm is that I issued an instruction to the effect that the magistrate must recuse himself from cases in which blacks are complainants and whites are the accused and vice versa."

Steyn will appear in the Vereeniging magistrate's court on February 26.