“Ashwin died fighting for justice for my son, now I will die fighting for justice for Ashwin.”
This is how Delmaine Steffensen expressed her anger hours after Ashwin Mouwers, 33, a witness in her son’s murder, was killed in front of her. Mouwers was shot just minutes before he could take a stand at the Lenasia magistrate ’s court on Tuesday morning.
Two armed men ambushed Mouwers as he, Steffensen, her daughter Teshlyn, and Alan Petersen (another witness) were waiting outside court where a trial for the murder of Steffensen’s child, Clejean, was expected to begin. Ashwin was one of the star witnesses in the state's murder case against Donnel Cooper, who is accused of killing Clejean in a 2021 domestic violence case that escalated into murder.
Ashwin was shot several times in the upper body as he tried to run into the entrance of the court. His co-witness Petersen sustained a minor injury and has since been placed under the witness protection programme. The assailants are still at large.
The incident has reignited the debate about the killings of witnesses and their safety in the country.
Criminologist Willem Els said: “Witnesses dying causes a problem. It’s detrimental. Cases are built around witnesses and if you lose the witness, the case falls apart.
“So the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] should aim to protect witnesses and organise them with the witness protection programs but of course it depends on the circumstances and the case.”
Els said the state often does a lot of effort moving witnesses around the country, changing their names and trying to keep them extremely safe, especially in sensitive cases.
“And if one of your witnesses dies it puts fear in the other witnesses on the case. Your witnesses are always vulnerable. It’s always important to protect our witnesses...”
Steffensen told Sowetan on Wednesday that they had just arrived in court around 9am when they noticed Cooper standing outside texting and calling on his cellphone.
“I then heard what sounded like fireworks but as I looked, I saw two young guys shooting at Ashwin [Mouwers].
“People ran in different directions. I froze out of shock. The other witness [Petersen] ran and hid in a shop, he later came back wearing a different shirt he bought inside the shop to disguise himself,” said Steffensen.
A hawker outside court described the scene as mayhem.
“After the shooting, I saw two guys casually walking away from the scene. They did not run, they crossed the road and went into the taxi rank,” he said.
Steffensen's daughter Teshlyn said rumour had been going around their neighbourhood of Eldorado Park that witnesses in her brother's murder case would be dealt with.
Teshlyn had been dating Cooper.
“One day my brother beat up Donnel who then left and came back in a car and drove over my brother several times. He died in hospital days later,” she said.
Mouwers’ brother, Victor Maitland, said his sibling had always felt unsafe and was considering not testifying in the trial prior to his death.
“We always prayed before he left for court because he always felt unsafe, but he felt that going to court was the right thing to do. I told him to tell the investigating officer about his concerns. I don't know if he ever did. - Additional Reporting Koena Mashale
SowetanLIVE
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