The Inge Lotz murder investigator needs help in tracing two women who visited the crime scene after Lotz died.
|||Cape Town - The investigating officer in the Inge Lotz murder case, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Barkhuizen, has appealed for the public to assist him in tracing two women dressed as goths who visited the crime scene after Lotz was killed.
Lotz’s body was discovered on March 16, 2005, in her flat in the security complex Shiraz on Klein Welgevonden in Stellenbosch.
Her then boyfriend, Fred van der Vyver, was arrested and tried for her murder, but after a protracted trial, was acquitted in 2007.
He sued the minister of police for malicious prosecution, but the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled this week that it could not be found that there was malice in the conduct of the police.
The murder remains unsolved.
But Barkhuizen, a highly experienced investigator, is leading a police team which includes one of the most highly regarded forensic scientists in South Africa.
While their investigation is focused on a new male suspect,
Barkhuizen is also looking for the two women, who are believed to be in their late twenties or early thirties now.
It is believed that they arrived at the apartment the evening that Lotz was killed, or during the early hours of the morning.
Members of the gothic subculture normally dye their hair black, apply dark eyeliner and mascara, paint their nails black, may have piercings, and wear black clothing.
“While police were busy investigating the crime scene, two young white females, both dressed in black, came to the flat and enquired about Inge’s well-being.
“They could be students, about 19 to 21 years old at the time.
“They could have been living in the same block of flats as Inge.
“The case has received widespread public attention since 2005.
“To date, these two ladies have not been identified. I am keen to interview anyone with information about their whereabouts and will treat the information with the utmost confidence,” Barkhuizen said.
Hawks spokesman Paul Ramaloko told Weekend Argus this week that the Hawks were searching for two Xhosa-speaking women who could have lived in Kayamandi or been in the same church as Lotz.
However, Barkhuizen said Ramaloko’s comments were incorrect.
Barkhuizen can be reached at 082 411 2142.
Weekend Argus