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The 38-year-old suspect who was arrested this week for the killing of two police officers in Kimberley, told the court on Thursday, 24 August, that he is a psychiatric patient who had been admitted to 27 institutions, amongst other the Weskoppies and Denmar Psychiatric Hospital.
Daniel Wilfred Alberts, with a Pretoria address, was charged in the Kimberley Magistrates’ Court with two counts of murder, three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, the theft of a motor vehicle, and the theft of a Dell laptop.
The murder charges follow the shooting and killing of two police members of the Kimberley Flying Squad: the 45-year-old Sgt Kedimetse Masilo and 35-year-old Const. Okaetse Mandindi, on Tuesday, 22 August.
Alberts appeared in court in a red and blue golf shirt, rust-coloured cargo shorts, and leather shoes without socks.
He indicated his preferred language as English.
His Legal Aid representative Shan Davids told the court that he sustained physical injuries during his arrest. Alberts claims he was beaten with fists all over his body, that his wrists are injured, he has a blue eye, and that he vomited blood.
State prosecutor Nicola van Niekerk stated that according to the police report Alberts had not been assaulted during his arrest.
Magistrate Leon Blaauw ordered that Alberts be sent for psychiatric observation.
Alberts abandoned his bail application, with his next court appearance on 5 October.
On Tuesday, Masilo and Mandindi were tracing a hired sedan that had allegedly been stolen and was travelling en route from Bloemfontein. After spotting the wanted vehicle in Kimberley, the two police officers started following it, when it drove at a high speed into the Transnet yard – where the suspect crashed the vehicle and allegedly fled the scene on foot.
The members gave chase and were fired upon, which led to their fatal shooting.
Alberts was arrested at Riverton later on the same day.
