17-year-old Griekwastad family killing accused takes stand

The 17-year-old boy accused of killing three members of the Steenkamp family on their farm near Griekwastad began testifying in the Kimberley High Court.

The boy's defence counsel Willem Coetzee called him to the stand as the first witness after the State closed its case last week.

Northern Cape Judge President Frans Kgomo is hearing evidence in the trial of the boy -- accused of killing farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christel, 43, and their daughter Marthella, 14. They were shot dead on their farm Naauwhoek on April 6, 2012.

After Kgomo had sworn the boy in, the judge made sure he was comfortable and wanted to know if there was a chair available for him.

"You have been in court the whole time, you know what the oath is. Do you have a problem against taking the oath?" Kgomo asked him.

"No," he replied without hesitation in Afrikaans.

Coetzee began the boy's testimony-in-chief by asking him to tell the court his age now and at the time of the murders. The boy continued to testify about his school.

Coetzee led the boy through events of the day before the murders. He then started to tell the court his whereabouts on the day of the attack on the Steenkamps.

The case continues.