AfriForum takes on case of KZN skipper John 'Matambu' Dercksen
AfriForum's Private Prosecution Unit says it will represent the family of KwaZulu-Natal skipper John 'Matambu' Dercksen, who disappeared earlier this year.
The unit's head, Advocate Gerrie Nel, met with Dercksen's sister on Tuesday.
Dercksen, from Sodwana Bay on the north coast, went missing in March after taking a passenger out to sea.
His burnt-out boat was found on the Mozambique coastline the next day.
The passenger was spotted in the neighbouring country, allegedly with some of Dercksen's items.
He was arrested for violating immigration laws and deported to South Africa.
In May, the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew charges against him, which included fraud, apparently due to procedural flaws.
READ: Suspect in missing KZN skipper case to be deported to SA
He remains behind bars in Empangeni for breaking his parole conditions.
Dercksen's sister, Cherie Eilertsen, says they still don't know what happened to her brother.
"We don't know how John was killed, if he was bleeding profusely. John's body entered the water at 11:25 because his cell phone was in his pocket, and his phone lost contact with every tower in South Africa at 11:25.
"But if John was bleeding profusely and thrown into shark-infested waters, there is the possibility that there never will be a body. We haven't a funeral, and we have no closure."
AfriForum's Private Prosecution Unit spokesperson Barry Bateman says they plan to write to the NPA to seek clarity on certain aspects of the case.
"But also arguing that the case should be treated as a murder. We believe that there is ample circumstantial evidence to support such a charge."
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