- The brother of murdered Magistrate Romay van Rooyen does not believe his sister was killed in a robbery gone wrong.
- Tasswell van Rooyen described the discovery of her body in her bedroom, after she failed to pick up her nephew as scheduled.
- No valuables, besides her vehicle, were taken from her Marina da Gama house.
Murdered Magistrate Romay van Rooyen was lying in her bedroom, flat on her back, when her family found her dead body in her home. Everything else was in place and she had no visible injuries. But her body was already ice cold, confirming their worst fears.
Now police are trying to piece together what happened to her on Saturday in her Marina da Gama home in the hours before her family made the traumatising discovery.
Her brother, Tasswell, said relatives went to check up on her when she failed to pick up her nephew that afternoon as planned. She had confirmed that she would collect him the night before, lamenting that she was tired after her long drive back home from the West Coast, where she worked.
Phone calls on Saturday afternoon went straight to voicemail, which they considered "odd".
Van Rooyen was a magistrate in Vredenburg and lived in the nearby town of Langebaan during the week, returning home on weekends. A family member had a spare key and checked on the Marina da Gama property while she was away.
"When [we] got in, we found her cellphone lying on the floor. Everything looked intact. But she was lying in the bedroom at the end of the corridor, flat on her back. That’s how we found her," Tasswell recalled.
He could find no visible injuries on her body. The post-mortem was scheduled for Wednesday to confirm the cause of death, which has been ruled a murder.
He insisted that she had no safety concerns that he was aware of, but recalled an instance early in her law career where she was shot in the leg.
"She told me to never tell of what happened there. But I don’t believe it's linked."
The 50-year-old Van Rooyen, a former State prosecutor, lived alone in her house in Red Roman Street, which is now surrounded by yellow police tape.
Only her car was missing from the scene. The SUV was discovered in Mitchells Plain on Sunday night.
No arrests have yet been made.
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Van Rooyen had worked at courts across area since 1997.
She was made an acting magistrate in 2016, before being appointed to the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court in October 2021.
Tasswell praised the police's handling of his sibling's murder when speaking to Minister Bheki Cele, who visited the family on Wednesday to share his condolences.
"As much as it is a loss for us, it is a loss to the criminal justice system. My sister worked very hard. She lived for her work. She lived for the criminal justice system.
"Your team has lost one very important, dedicated, committed person that was going to help us in this fight against crime."
Cele said Van Rooyen’s case had been handed over to the Hawks for further investigation.
"To find out what happened and who did it, that is our first prize. We can't bring her back, but it will be good for somebody to answer one day about why it happened, why that person did it."
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, who had after her murder urged members of the criminal justice system to "bring the perpetrators swiftly to book", said he did not want to speculate on the details behind her killing.
"We want to give [the investigation] a chance so that we know exactly what the reasons were and who was behind it. It will then enable us in terms of plans going forward," he said.
"But the reality is that as and when there are security issues that come up, we attend to them and look at them very thoroughly. It's not unfounded, the issue… [that magistrates] feel unsafe. They do raise them with us from time to time, particularly in some of the areas across Cape Town where there is gangsterism and [similar crimes], as well as in other areas like Johannesburg."
If a judicial officer is threatened, an assessment is done to see whether there is a need for "some kind of specialised measure", Lamola said.
Van Rooyen's former colleagues in the NPA were planning a memorial service for her on Tuesday, while her funeral is scheduled for next Saturday.
Tasswell said:
He added that he did not believe his sister was the victim of a robbery gone wrong.
"I am no detective… but all her valuables were there. They just needed a getaway vehicle and that is why they took the car. When they found [the vehicle], her ID and house keys to her Langebaan home was there. Nothing had been taken there either."
It was difficult for their family because, without answers, they didn't have closure, Tasswell said.
As far as he knew, his sister led a quiet life, had no enemies, was a private person, and lived in a safe neighbourhood.
He had no knowledge about the cases she was working on, he added.
"That's the thing about her. She was a professional. She never ever disclosed any information. Her professional life was her professional life, her private life was her private life."