Cape Town motorcyclist's alleged killers want plea with state

Two of the three men accused of murdering Cape Town motorcyclist Zelda van Niekerk may enter into a plea bargain.

Lucien Ackerman allegedly murdered Van Niekerk next to the N1 near Canal Walk in Cape Town in September 2018.

He and co-accused Michael Pietersen and Elton Abrahams then allegedly stole her cellphone and the cash in her wallet.

All three are charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of firearms and ammunition.

Van Niekerk’s friends and members of her mostly female biker fraternity sat through the men’s brief appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

The case was postponed so the suspects’ legal aid attorney could consult them regarding a plea agreement.

Outside court, Van Niekerk’s friends told TimesLIVE that the death of the biker and her wife, Anita, who succumbed to cancer 40 days earlier, had “left a hole” in their lives and especially their charity, Bikers with a Cause, which they started together.

“The other day there was a lady in need. We wanted to help someone, so I called Zelda. I looked and saw I was calling Zelda, but she’s... That’s the hole that Zelda left,” said her friend, Délaine Coetzee, stopping mid-sentence to fight back tears.

“The girls are trying to keep it together, but it’s not the same,” she said.

Blake said 1,600 bikers had attended Van Niekerk’s memorial ride. A Facebook page, Zelda’s Ride, has more than 2,400 followers and is being used to create awareness for biker safety.