Broadcast of Van Breda trial granted with conditions
Judge Siraj Desai has granted with conditions an application by Media24 to broadcast Henri van Breda's murder trial, set to start in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
He said that portions of video could be used here and there. No exhibits would be allowed to be recorded or photographed.
Importantly, media would not be allowed to photograph or record his sister Marli without prior consent.
On Friday, Judge Desai heard an urgent application from the digital publisher for permission to share the proceedings via its internet platforms, so the public can follow the trial.
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This would be similar to the live broadcast of the trial of former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius.
The State and Van Breda's lawyers opposed the application, arguing it could alter witness testimony, or intimidate witnesses while they testify. Experts could suffer reputational damage if the public tore their performances to shreds, they argued.
Van Breda faces three counts of murder, one of attempted murder, and one of obstructing the course of justice.
His parents, Martin, 54, and Teresa, 55, and his brother Rudi, 22, were killed with an axe in their home on the luxury De Zalze golf estate in Stellenbosch in the early hours of Tuesday, January 27, 2015.