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The National Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole and SAPS management applauds the arrest of a long awaited murder fugitive

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The tireless and unyielding efforts by the South African Police Service (SAPS) members continues to demonstrate the power and determination of the mighty long arm of the law!

This was reflected when a thirty-nine-year-old murder fugitive (Gerard Jansen Van Vuuren) was extradited from Brazil to South Africa to face the full might of the law.

The fugitive who was charged with murder in 2011, fled from South Africa in an attempt to hide outside of the country (South Africa) to evade criminal charges laid against him, however, the long arm of the law stretched across borders and would not tire until the fugitive was traced since he absconded in May 2013.

The murder charge follows a tragic incident where the fugitive was implicated in the fatal stabbing of his late 25-year-old ex-girlfriend, Andrea Venter in December 2011 at a residential complex in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Before the fugitive absconded, he allegedly attempted to commit suicide at the scene of the crime but failed. He was then arrested and appeared before the Randburg Magistrates Court.

He was later granted bail in the Johannesburg High Court after the SAPS successfully opposed bail twice before the Randburg Magistrates Court.

Four days before the start of his murder trial in May 2013, Jansen Van Vuuren fled the country using false travel documentation.

After evading the trial, a warrant of arrest was issued by Interpol Pretoria to expedite the tracing and tracking of the fugitive where he was later arrested by Brazilian authorities in August 2013. The charge was the possession of false documentation and regrettably, he was released in 2015 after serving his sentence.

Consequently, through an intensive and long investigation, the murder fugitive is back in South Africa through a well facilitated operation between the SAPS and The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

Still in lawful custody and facing the murder charge, the fugitive has appeared in Johannesburg High Court on 12
October 2020, wherein the case was remanded to 06 November 2020.

In his acknowledgement on the good work presented to him by the SAPS members, the National Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole applauded the noble work done by the team.

He said the arrest are as a result of a culmination work and the relentless efforts by police officials including the Investigative Psychology Section (IPS) within the SAPS, Interpol Pretoria, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Brazilian Federal Police.

“This is indeed a victory for us as a service, thank you to the team who did not give up even after years of hard work. Our priority is to bring closure to the family and friends of the deceased as well as to ensure that justice is served,” said General Sitole.

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