'Driftwood Killer' to apply for bail in Nicky van Heerden murder case
Nearly two weeks after a former Plettenberg Bay detective was found dead atop a sand dune, her accused killer will return to court on Thursday hoping for bail — but not with the well-known lawyer he had banked on.
Dubbed the “Driftwood Killer”, Bevan van Druten had hoped Garden Route legal eagle Carl Jeppe would front his case, but will now have to make do with a state lawyer.
It emerged at the 53-year-old’s second court appearance on Monday that Jeppe had declined to represent him.
Van Druten, a talented driftwood artist who made a name for himself crafting striking sculptures from beach debris, stands accused of murdering Anneke “Nicky” van Heerden, also known to her friends as Alaska.
Van Heerden’s battered body was found in the sand next to a vehicle believed to belong to Van Druten on January 18.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the 54-year-old’s corpse was riddled with injuries.
Bloodcurdling screams are believed to have come before the killing, with Twigg saying neighbours were startled enough to call the cops.
Those close to the investigation said Van Heerden was struck from behind and her face forced into the sand as she fought for her life.
It was further alleged her nose was injured on impact, and that sand was found in her mouth.
The night before her death, she introduced Van Druten to family and friends, telling them they had only recently met.
But talk outside the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on Monday told a different story.
Some of the supporters who turned out in their droves — friends and family among them — said the pair had known each other since September, long before they went public.
Placards, flowers and a large portrait of Van Heerden, her face sketched in pencil, lay strewn outside the court as a picture emerged of a relationship kept under wraps.
Van Heerden had apparently house-sat for Van Druten in September, and those close to them said the two had “instantly clicked” and soon entered into a relationship.
Others, however, claimed the romance was far more recent, saying Van Heerden had met Van Druten only about a week before her now-highly publicised murder.
The State told Magistrate Zukiswa Hans, in full view of a packed gallery, that Van Druten had been seen by the district surgeon and sent for observation.
But Hans was quick to say she knew nothing about it and that no court order had been made. Moments later, the state withdrew the claim.
Van Druten, dressed in yellow slippers and baggy turquoise trousers, told the court he wanted a Legal Aid attorney.
One was then appointed to him.
Hans postponed the matter to Thursday, when Van Druten may apply for bail.
Van Heerden’s father, 88, is again expected to appear in court to face to the man who allegedly killed his daughter.
As previously reported, Van Druten has been described by several people as a man with a short fuse and a habit of flying into rages.
Six women have also told IOL they either obtained, or tried to obtain, protection orders against him.
Zoe Davids, 41, who claimed to have lived next door to Van Druten in Wilderness between 2016 and 2019 said: “It was a very tough three years because he was our neighbour.
“He was an extremely volatile person.”
Davids this week said she and her partner owned two dogs and Van Druten often complained they jumped the fence onto his property.
“He would say he would shoot them — and us,” she said.
She recalled one incident where Van Druten reportedly called her to the fence and handed her a book about dogs.
“He said it was to ‘educate’ me,” the teacher alleged.
“I told him I knew about dogs.
“He then started questioning my partner about whether he was even allowed to be in the country because he is a foreigner.
“He wanted to see his passport … I started shouting at him.”
She also recalled waking up one night to find him building a speed bump in the middle of their gravel road.
“He was up in the middle of the night building a speed bump, mind you there are no streetlights and cars drive fast there,” she said.
“He hated that.
“The next day cars were getting damaged because nobody knew the speed bump was there.”
When she allegedly questioned him, Davids said Van Druten responded with a racist remark.
“He [allegedly] said he had put up a sign in English and that if my partner could not read it because he speaks Arabic, then he should not be in this country,” she said.
“I told him, ‘You ignorant prick, he’s not Arabic’.”
Davids said there was another incident where her dog slipped through a hole in the fence into Van Druten’s yard.
“He threatened to shoot and kill the dog with a crossbow,” she said.
She said she never reported Van Druten to police.
Jax Dichabe, 44, said she met Van Heerden — whom she knew as Alaska — at a meditation centre in September.
“I stayed there for six months,” she said on Wednesday.
Dichabe said Van Heerden repeatedly encouraged her to travel to the Garden Route.
“Eventually, I agreed, and on the 15th I arrived in Wilderness where she fetched me,” she said.
“She introduced me to her friends and they were a beautiful bunch of people.”
The pair travelled to Knysna, where they stayed for three weeks.
Dichabe said Van Heerden had told her she was house- and pet-sitting before he arrived.
“That turned out to be Bevan’s house,” she said.
Speaking about her death, Dichabe said she was still struggling to process it.
“When it comes to her murder, I’m hurt and it’s hard, but I leave it up to God,” she said.
“She is in a better place.”
She said her faith had helped her cope.
“While I was meditating on that mountain, I was taught to love unconditionally,” she said.
“It is a hard, narrow road, but I know it’s what we’re supposed to choose.
“I’m still processing how she died, but God knows best.”
Van Heerden’s brother-in-law Hein Bruwer said she was full of life.
“We loved her very much and she was full of life.
“She always brought light into our lives and those around her. We are heartbroken by what had happened and we cannot comment on the merits of the case,” Bruwer said.
IOL News