Anika Smit’s murder case is still unsolved. (Photo: Facebook)
The father of Anika Smit, the 17-year-old girl who was murdered 16 years ago in her father’s house in Theresapark in the north of Pretoria, Johan, says he gave the matter to the Lord a long time ago. “The Lord knows what the truth is and He has given me peace,” he says.
The sensational murder in March 2010 in which Anika’s hands were chopped off has never been solved and the police are offering a reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or people who killed Anika. Her hands were never traced.
Col. Athlenda Mathe, police spokesperson, says the reward is offered to assist the police in solving the case.
At the time, a month after the murder, a reward of R50 000 was offered. A businessman from Pretoria made the first R20 000 available for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction and Anika’s uncle added another R30 000. Mathe did not indicate whether the amount is still R50 000.
Although several stakeholders in the case were questioned, the culprit was never apprehended. Among the stakeholders were Johan, her father; Damian Treeby, a school friend; André “Smiley” van Wyk, also a schoolmate who initially claimed he killed Anika; and Nico Venter, Anika’s boyfriend at the time of her death.
Johan, who turned 70 in January and still lives in the same house, says he made peace with the matter a long time ago. “Whether this matter is resolved on earth or not, the Lord knows what the truth is and He has given me peace.”
Johan Smit, Anika look at it. (Photo: Facebook)
On Tuesday it was exactly 16 years after the murder of Anika.
Smit says he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, but with God’s help he was able to “lock the things related to the murder in another room in my mind”.
In the first years after the murder, Smit shared every bit of information he heard with the police in the hope that it would help solve the murder. In the years that dragged on without the killer(s) being apprehended or convicted, Smit found some closure. “Whether the matter is resolved or not, I made peace with it a long time ago,” says Smit.
He no longer worries about people who lied in court in the past. “If you take an oath, you call the Lord as a witness and if you lie, you must know that you will not get away empty-handed.”
Smit had always hoped that when he retired he could live in the Northern Cape, but because the case was still dragging on, he could not do so.
An inquest was opened in September 2015. Smit says this case will be in court again in June.
He still thinks about his daughter often. “About a few weeks ago, I had two beautiful dreams about her.”