Mother of two Zara-Jane Hector was killed for a BMW Z3 to pay off debt she owed to one of the accused, the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday.

Prosecutor Nathan Adriaanse put it to accused Tawfeeq Ibrahim, 26, during his bail application that he and his co-accused Ronaldo van Rooyen, 34, planned to kill Hector and steal the car she had been driving because she owed Van Rooyen “a lot of money”.

This was according to a statement Ibrahim gave police after his arrest, Adriaanse said.

Ibrahim declined to comment.

The State is alleging that the duo beat Hector to death with a hammer in the garage of Van Rooyen’s home on March 15. After they wrapped her body in a canvas they allegedly drove to Groot Drakenstein to dump her remains.

Afterwards they allegedly drove to Bishop Lavis to try and sell the car, but could not find a buyer. They apparently went on a drug binge which lasted into the next morning.

The car was later found in Observatory with parts missing.

Body found, arrests

The men were arrested a week later, shortly before Hector’s body was found.

Ibrahim declined to comment on all of the allegations Adriaanse put to him.

Van Rooyen abandoned his bail bid, while Ibrahim took to the stand to testify why he should be released.

The case has been registered as a schedule 6 bail application which, according to the Criminal Procedure Act, means the onus is on the accused to prove special circumstances exist to justify their release.

Ibrahim said he wanted to be released on bail to return to working with his father at his paving and tarring business. He testified that he was divorced and his mother had been supporting his two children, aged 2 and 3, while he was behind bars.

Hector disappeared on March 15 after she left the Oostenberg Lodge in Kuils River, where she worked. Her body was found nine days later.

The two face charges of murder, vehicle robbery, and defeating the ends of justice.

While the two appeared to have no previous convictions, the State revealed that Van Rooyen had since been charged with an unrelated armed robbery, allegedly committed with a separate accomplice.

[Source: News24]