Christmas without closure: family mourns Lekesha Marthinus after beer bottle tragedy
Lakesha Marthinus was killed after being thrown with a beer bottle allegedly by her boyfriend.
Image: Supplied
The trial of Austin du Plessis, accused of killing his girlfriend Lakesha Marthinus, has been postponed once again after the magistrate indicated she was not ready to proceed with judgment.
Cheryl-Ann Smith, mother of the deceased, said the delay is another painful blow for the family. “This is yet another blow to the family, who will have to spend another Christmas without their loved one and start the new year again hoping for closure,” she said.
“I woke up this morning thinking that I would finally get closure, but that is not the case. I cannot handle hearing the word ‘postponed’ anymore; it means that we have to again go to sleep without justice for my daughter.
"Everything still feels fresh, and every time we have to see him in court, the wounds reopen. It feels like yesterday. I hope when I come on 22 January I will hear the words that he is guilty and then that he is sentenced to life without parole,” Smith said.
Marthinus died after Du Plessis allegedly threw an empty beer bottle at her head while she was holding her nine-month-old baby. She was rushed to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Since first being placed on the court roll, the case has faced at least 24 postponements, highlighting systemic issues within South Africa’s criminal justice system. Delays have ranged from incomplete investigations to missing postmortem reports and outstanding crime scene photographs.
In April 2023, Du Plessis was granted bail of R3 000 but disappeared shortly thereafter. Action Society has repeatedly expressed concern over bail being granted in violent cases, particularly when women and children are the victims.
The case was provisionally withdrawn in September 2023 due to missing postmortem and crime scene documentation, only returning to the court roll in October 2024 after finalisation of the investigation.
Kaylynn Palm, Western Cape Action Centre Head at Action Society, described the expected judgment as a critical moment after years of delay.
“Lekesha’s case reflects what countless families endure. It highlights the severe impact of court backlogs, police inefficiencies, and the extensive DNA backlog which continues to obstruct justice in gender-based violence cases,” Palm said.
The case will be heard on 22 January at the Mitchells Plain Regional Court.