The family of murdered five-year-old Rafique Hardien is seeking access to the police docket after learning that convicted killer Richard "Junior" Engelbrecht will be eligible for parole consideration in September 2032. Rafique disappeared in 2004 while playing at a neighbour's house in Portland. His decomposing body was found 17 days later near the Westridge swimming pools in Mitchells Plain. Engelbrecht is currently serving three life terms for the rape and murder of Annestacia Wiese, his girlfriend's 11-year-old daughter.
Engelbrecht was arrested and charged with Annestacia's murder in 2007. He was also sentenced for the rape of his three-year-old stepdaughter and for stabbing an American student in the head at a museum in Cape Town. The Department of Correctional Services confirmed that Engelbrecht will be eligible for parole consideration in September 2032, in line with applicable legislation, policies, and prescripts. This news has come as a shock to the family of Rafique Hardien.
The family wants to determine why the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, National Prosecuting Authority, and SAPS determined that Engelbrecht could not be prosecuted for Rafique's murder. They are appealing to authorities to allow them access to the docket through a Promotion of Access to Information application. Rafique's brother, Redaa Hardien, said they had several questions regarding the investigation, including why key witnesses were not interviewed and how DNA evidence was handled.
In 2021, the National Prosecuting Authority explained that Engelbrecht did not confess to Rafique's murder, but claimed that a coffee table had fallen on the child. The NPA said a witness had promised to give a statement but never did, while the witness's lawyer was missing. The family questions why the analysis of the sweater Engelbrecht was wearing was not done properly and why there was no investigation into the disappearance of his foster brother.
Former police officer Charles Julies, who worked in the Missing Children's Unit for SAPS, continues to assist the family. He suspects that the body had been stored somewhere before it was eventually dumped and believes that a crucial witness, a relative of Engelbrecht's, could have solved the case. Julies said SAPS had failed the family by not revisiting the interviews of credible witnesses.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said SAPS was not aware of the family's request for access to the docket. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson Phaladi Shuping advised the family to approach the Civilian Secretariat for Police Services, which is responsible for service delivery issues relating to the police.
The family is seeking answers and justice for Rafique's murder. Redaa Hardien said they still have to be strong after so many years, and no one knows the pain that they have as a family. The family wants Engelbrecht to "rot in jail" and is seeking access to the docket to understand how the case was handled.
Key points
- The family of Rafique Hardien is seeking access to the police docket.
- Richard "Junior" Engelbrecht will be eligible for parole consideration in 2032.
- The family questions the handling of the investigation into Rafique's murder.
