Cape Town - The Elim businessman accused of killing his ex-wife has opted not to testify in his own defence, after the cross-examination of his co-accused who was on the stand for six days.
Ashley October’s lawyer, Dorian van Zyl, told the court yesterday that his client would not be testifying after the conclusion of Tashwell van der Rhede’s cross-examination.
The matter has been postponed to Thursday, when the State and defence will argue for and against conviction.
The State alleges that October conspired in 2011 and 2012 to have Charlene October killed, but was unsuccessful.
In 2021, however, he allegedly approached yet another of his employees, Van der Rhede, with a similar offer – money for murder.
Van der Rhede has since testified that he refused to do the killing, but October offered him an alternative – to ransack the tuckshop owned by October in exchange for taking whatever he wanted and payment from an insurance policy. He said October gave him the key to the padlock of the tuckshop.
Yesterday, State advocate Leon Snyman badgered Van der Rhede into confessing that he was aware of October’s alleged intentions, after he had repeatedly said, “I didn’t think he was serious.”
Snyman said: “You go 12pm at night after accused number two says, ‘we’ll kill this thing’, you take a route so that you’re out of sight, there’s gloves involved, there’s an entry through a window. You go to the shop, Mr October goes to the deceased. Your job is to make it look like a robbery. What was he going to do then, other than murder her. Do you agree with me?”
Van der Rhede replied: “Yes, I agree with you.”
Snyman persisted: “Mr Van der Rhede, Charlene has been murdered. Your hand in her murder is the following: you were part of the plan, you keep a look out at the scene before you enter the murder scene to make sure no one comes, you go into the murder scene, you’re present, you take two phones, you ransack the shop to make it look like a robbery. Do you agree with all of that?”
Van der Rhede replied: “Yes I agree.” Van der Rhede further claimed that while he and October shared a cell, the businessman asked him to take the fall for Charlene’s killing. He claimed October allegedly offered to pay for his attorney if he would “stand” for the murder. Van der Rhede said October had asked him why he had given police the key.
rafieka.williams@inl.co.za