- Kounkou Dziendelet says he has not been okay since the disappearance and murder of his son, Orderick Lucas.
- Dziendelet started crying as he testified that his twin sons told him that they, "... can't find Orderick, he is lost".
- Orderick was later found dead in a stormwater drain.
Kounkou Dziendelet in March 2019 delivered medication to the legal guardian of his son Orderick Lucas, unaware that the toddler had already been missing for two days.
Dziendelet, the State's third witness in the trial of Melvin Volkwyn, accused of the murder of the little boy, on Monday told the Western Cape High Court his partner Davedine Lucas had asked him to drop medicine at the home of her mother Cornelia Scheepers the night before.
He testified that Scheepers had not been home when he had arrived early that Tuesday morning on his way to the train station.
Her husband had been home, and when Dziendelet asked about the children, he hadn't answered.
"I asked. But I don't know if he had taken too much alcohol because he would just say, 'Huh? Huh?'. I was getting late for my train so I left."
Dziendelet and Davedine have been dating since 2009 and had three children together. A fourth was born in August last year after Orderick's murder and is in the care of the social services.
Scheepers was given primary custody of her three grandchildren in January 2019, two months before the little boy's murder.
Contravening a ruling
Dziendelet confirmed that on the Sunday his son had disappeared, he had been spending the weekend with his parents, contravening the Children's Court ruling which only gave them permission to visit.
"Davedine's mom had a birthday (the Sunday) and she didn't want to have children around when she had her party," he said.
He had gone to Scheepers' home in Wittebol Close, Melton Rose, that Sunday when he returned from work to give her R450 as there had been a delay in her receiving her state grant.
"She said I must go fetch the children and bring them, because it was her birthday," he testified in French.
He went home and he and Davedine had dressed up the three to go to the gathering.
He said:
When Dziendelet wanted to follow with the twins, Scheepers had insisted he stay and wait for cake.
Physical altercation
When he and his twin sons walked home, he said he saw a group of people in a physical altercation.
"I looked into the crowd and could see [Davedine] fighting in the crowd," he said.
She had testified that she had been accused of stealing a cellphone and had been attacked by a mob.
Dziendelet said Davedine had managed to break free from the group and as she fled, he called out to her asking what was going on.
"She was crying and ran past me."
He said he took their twins home and asked the people who lived around them where Orderick was.
"I was told the child was with Melvin. I though he would bring him later."
He said he had left the door unlocked that night, expecting Davedine to come home. "But she didn't come back."
She had testified that she had slept at her mother's home after she treated injuries she had sustained in the attack.
Dziendelet told the court that Davedine had returned early on Monday morning, saying she was going to the hospital.
'He was so close to us'
"I asked where the child is. She said the child is with Melvin. I felt nothing because he was close to us. He would bring him back to us later."
After Davedine had left, Volkwyn arrived at their home looking for her, he said.
Both he and his neighbour had asked Volkwyn where Orderick was, and he had responded that the little boy was at his home.
"I was surprised because Orderick was [at his home] and he had come there alone."
He said he had dropped the twins with their grandmother later the day. When he saw Davedine, he again asked her where Orderick was.
When she responded they were back with Scheepers, he told her that this was not the case.
He had told her Orderick was still with Volkwyn, Dziendelet testified, and she had told him she would go get him and drop him with Scheepers.
'It's sorted'
Davedine, however, had not fetched the toddler as she had bumped into Volkwyn and he had told her, "... it's sorted, the child is with his granny".
Orderick had gone missing that Sunday, 24 March 2019. His body was found on 2 April when a group of children had tried to retrieve their ball from a stormwater drain in Wittebol Street, Melton Rose, near his grandmother's home.
Davedine had reported her son missing on the Thursday. She said Volkwyn had told her the Monday he had dropped her son at their granny's, but when she went to her mother's three days later, she was told Orderick had never arrived.
She denies getting Orderick back from Volkwyn, or giving him permission to retrieve him from the friend she had left him with that Sunday.
Dziendelet started crying as he recalled his twin sons telling him that Thursday that they, "... can't find Orderick, he is lost".
He said after Orderick's disappearance, he had asked Volkwyn what had happened to his little boy.
"Melvin was crying. I asked him if he remembered that I had asked him that Monday where Orderick was and he had said he was with him. He said he was at his place, but then had left again."
He said he hadn't asked who his son had left with.
'I'm not okay'
"From the first day that Orderick got lost, up until today, I am not okay," Dziendelet said.
"That's my son, my blood."
Volkwyn in his plea explanation said he had given the child back to his mother.
The trial continues on Tuesday.