Local FCS investigator the best

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - For the second year in a row, an investigator of the Mossel Bay’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit has been recognised as the best FCS investigator in the Western Cape.

Investigators from all 25 FCS units from across the province attended the Western Cape’s FCS Awards in Worcester last Friday, 12 December, when Warrant Officer Soretha van Zyl won the award.

The case for which she received her award was the 2024 conviction of the then 32-year-old rapist and kidnapper, Siyabonga Kiewiet.

She was called to the KwaNonqaba Police Station in August 2019, after a 28-year-old woman had reported a case of kidnapping and rape. Her investigation revealed that Kiewiet had kidnapped the woman on 3 August and locked her in his room during the day while he went to work, returning at night to repeatedly rape and assault her.

This continued until 14 August, when the victim’s co-workers traced her to this location, forced open the door and freed her.

Van Zyl’s investigation led to Kiewiet’s arrest and in May last year, he was sentenced to nine life terms and 41 years’ imprisonment for multiple counts of rape, assault to cause grievous bodily harm, assault common and kidnapping.

Warrant Officer Allistair Rezant had received the best FCS investigator title during last year’s awards. This year, he also received a certificate of recognition for a murder and rape case he had investigated.

This was the case for which Johan Counter (34) had received two life sentences on 13 June last year, one for the rape and the other for the murder of the 16-year-old Jamie Lee Julius outside a farm in Great Brak River.

Jamie Lee and her sister (20), who lived in Oudtshoorn, had been visiting family friends on the farm at the time of the incident in January 2023.

Counters raped and strangled Jamie Lee just metres away from the farmhouse. Her sister found her body behind a water tank on the farm on 29 January.

The Mossel Bay FCS’ commander, Captain Franco Bestbier, said both investigators work hard and have consistently helped secure lengthy sentences for dangerous offenders.

He also thanked the court for the role its prosecutors play in helping the investigators with the cases.

Van Zyl has been nominated for the Western Cape Excellence Awards, which will be held in January.

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