Van Breda family's final day and relationships described in court

Bianca van der Westhuizen‚ Henri van Breda's ex-girlfriend‚ spent the shortest time on the stand of any witness so far‚ but there were emotional scenes in the court as she teared up during her testimony.

Van der Westhuizen could not hold back her tears as she spoke about the Van Breda family.

She was the person he had tried to contact on the night of the murders‚ but‚ she said‚ “her phone had been on aeroplane mode”.

At the time of the murders‚ she was just starting to date Henri‚ now on trial for the 2015 murder of his father Martin‚ mother Teresa and brother Rudi. He has also been charged with the attempted murder of his sister Marli.

• Van Breda's ex-girlfriend takes the witness stand in murder trialBianca van der Westhuizen took the stand in the Van Breda murder trial today‚ and could not hold back her tears as she spoke about the family. 

Then a Grade 12 pupil at Somerset College‚ she met him at a family braai.

On the day of the murders‚ the two had gone to the beach together after school but she had water polo practice just after 5pm.

She said that Henri “admired” his older brother Rudi‚ but was the closest to Marli‚ who also attended Somerset College but whom she didn't know as they were different grades.

Her testimony lasted only five minutes‚ and she was not cross-examined by Van Breda's defence counsel as‚ according to Matthys Combrink‚ “there is nothing in her testimony that they dispute factually”.

This session came after a poignant pre-lunch break session in which one of the last people to see the Van Breda family alive‚ domestic worker Precious Myongane‚ took the stand.

• What the domestic worker saw: Van Breda trial hears of axe stored in sculleryOne of the last people to see the Van Breda family alive was domestic worker Precious Myongane‚ who came in three days a week to wash‚ clean and iron at their luxurious home at De Zalze in Stellenbosch. 

She provided detail of the Monday in January 2015 when the three family members lost their lives.

Rudi van Breda lay under a blanket in the family lounge‚ Sasha the dog was walking around freely‚ and as usual she could see a list of numbers that Teresa van Breda had shown her when she first joined the family as an employee “in case of any emergencies”.

“There was nothing strange about the way the family acted that day‚” she said‚ adding that only Martin and Marli were not present.

Sasha slept by Henri’s bed‚ she said.

But what caused a major stir in the courtroom were the details she provided of an axe that she always saw in the scullery when she went to get the ironing board.

Myongane confirmed that she had “seen many axes in her life”‚ and that the one shown to her from the crime scene had the same appearance as the one she had repeatedly seen behind the ironing board in the scullery.

• Henri van Breda near tears as uncle tells court about 'loving family'Axe murder accused Henri van Breda showed emotion for the first time in court on Wednesday‚ appearing to be on the brink of tears. 

When asked what it was used for‚ she said‚ “I do not know‚ because I never saw anybody using it.”

From here‚ Van Breda's defence counsel‚ Matthys Combrink‚ introduced a line of questioning to throw doubt on whether it was the actual axe or not that she had always seen.

Combrink insisted that by her saying the axe from the scullery was "similar in appearance" to the one used to murder Martin‚ Teresa and Rudi van Breda‚ it did not mean that it was the actual one.

However‚ Judge Siraj Desai objected to the way in which he was interpreting Myongane's words as spoken by her interpreter in court.

"You are entitled to cross-examine as you wish‚" Desai told Combrink‚ "but this is torturous. There has been no suggestion that there was another axe."

Myongane’s testimony began with her description of how she was able to gain access to De Zalze three times a week by having an access card and using her thumb for biometric scanning. At the family home‚ in Goske Street‚ she would open a small gate using a key hanging on a string‚ and enter through the back door.

• Gasps at Van Breda axe-killing detailsWhether or not Henri van Breda axed his parents and brother to death, he relived the horror of the aftermath yesterday through the eyes of veteran paramedic Christiaan Koegelenberg. 

Henri van Breda showed emotion for the first time in court on Wednesday‚ appearing to be on the brink of tears.

This came as Andre van Breda‚ Martin's twin brother‚ painted a picture of a very close-knit family that had “absolutely no enemies to speak of”.

He said: “They were a loving family. Martin sent Teresa on a food course for fish. Martin and I were the test rabbits and I must tell you the food was divine.”

Henri's face clouded over with emotion as he and his uncle made regular eye contact‚ remembering the experience together.

Speaking of his murdered brother‚ Andre said: “I cannot think of a single moment in our lives as brothers that there was an ugly moment.”

He said he had always been proud of the extended family‚ and that he had much respect for his late brother‚ an astute and honest businessman.

Andre spoke of how Teresa had pined for her family and South Africa when they lived in Australia for several years.

The case continues.

- TMG Digital/The Times