Zurenah Smit, accused of masterminding the murder of her husband Stefan Smit, will remain in custody at the Pollsmoor Prison medical wing while she awaits availability to be admitted for her 30-day mental observation at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital.
Image: Chevon Booysen
Alleged mastermind behind the murder of her husband, Zurenah Smit, 60, is currently number six on the waiting list at Valkenberg Hospital for a 30 day mental observation and will re-appear in the Western Cape High Court again later this month for an update regarding her admission status at the facility.
Smit, who is currently in custody at the hospital wing of Pollsmoor Prison, appeared at the high court Monday morning alongside her co-accused Derek Sait.
Sait remains out on bail.
Smit, who is yet to be further cross-examined by the State about the events that led up to and followed the shooting murder of her husband, will remain in custody.
At the next appearance on March 27, the court is expected to deal with her admission status as well as her application to have her bail reinstated after it was withdrawn.
At her previous court appearance, Smit's R10,000 bail was revoked with immediate effect to determine if she could follow court proceedings. This was after she had told the court that her deceased husband would fetch her.
Zurenah Smit, accused murderer, glances back for a brief interaction at the public gallery where family were seated in the Western Cape High Court.
Image: Chevon Booysen
Yesterday, through her Legal Aid lawyer Susan Kuun, Smit said that the medical care she was receiving at Pollsmoor was inadequate and that she was “experiencing a lot of seizures”.
At the previous court appearance, high court Judge Derek Wille made the order for her to undergo the 30-day mental observation and requested that it be expedited.
Judge Wille noted that the criminal trial has been going on for more than a year and “this raises concerns about the administration of justice generally”.
Yesterday, after Kuun submitted that her client would appeal against the bail being revoked, Judge Wille said the matter would have to be noted on affidavit and it would be heard as an interlocutory application.
During proceedings, Smit handed to Kuun a document which was handed up to the court in which she details her reasons for wanting her bail to be reinstated.
Smit’s bail was withdrawn after Judge Wille previously raised the question whether Smit was capable of understanding her bail conditions while she was of the belief that her husband was fetching her at court to attend the doctor when she said she was not feeling well.
The matter was postponed to March 27.
Cape Times