News24 | Kluyts murder accused to spend Christmas behind bars

The man accused of the murder of Kirsten Kluyts will remain behind bars.

• The accused in the Kirsten Kluyts murder and rape case will continue his bail hearing on 29 December.
• The defence completed its marathon address after six hours.
• This left no time for the state to make its closing arguments.  

The student accused of the rape and murder of expecting mother Kirsten Kluyts, will spend Christmas at "Sun City".

Sun City - the ironic nickname given to the Johannesburg Prison – has been "home" to the 21-year-old since he was arrested at his student residence on 26 November.

The man is facing charges of rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances, as well as premeditated murder.

The Schedule Six offence places the onus on the accused to show that there are exceptional circumstances for him to be granted bail.

The state presented its case on Wednesday after a dramatic hearing that saw the accused take the stand in his own defence.

The defence's six-hour-long closing arguments were, among other things, focused on the accused's insistence that all he could reasonably be accused of was the theft of Kluyts' clothes.

On Tuesday, the man stated: "I committed a crime, that doesn't mean I'm a criminal".

His lawyer, advocate Itumeleng Masako, also said that if convicted killers Oscar Pistorius and Jason Rohde could be granted bail, then "what makes it so different with this poor little 21-year-old?”

Magistrate Syta Prinsloo remanded the bail hearing to 29 December for the State to present its closing arguments.