Robert Evans

NPA SUCCESSFULLY OPPOSES BAIL APPLICATION OF GQEBERHA BUSINESSMAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF GIRLFRIEND

Crime

NPA SUCCESSFULLY OPPOSES BAIL APPLICATION OF GQEBERHA BUSINESSMAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF GIRLFRIEND

Exactly two months after his arrest, and following several formal bail proceedings, the prosecution has successfully opposed the bail bid of prominent Gqeberha businessman, Robert Evans (58), who is charged with the premeditated murder of. His girlfriend. Evans is also facing charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, and defeating or obstructing the course of justice, following the alleged killing of his 36-year-old girlfriend, Vanessa van Rensburg. Her body was discovered in Evans’s holiday home in Oyster Bay in the early hours of Easter Sunday, 20 April 2025. She had succumbed to multiple injuries, according to the police.

The accused was arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) on 09 May 2025 at his business premises in Gqeberha. Van Rensburg, a mother of two minor children and an employee at the business co-owned by the accused, had reportedly started dating him on 11 May 2023.

During the bail proceedings in the Humansdorp Magistrates’ Court, Prosecutor Bianca Burger argued strongly against Evans’s release. She submitted that the accused, due to his financial means, posed a significant flight risk, and pointed to material contradictions and inconsistencies in his version of events. Prosecutor Burger also highlighted attempts by Evans to exaggerate his role in the company’s operations and mislead the court about the potential collapse of the business should he remain in custody.

The court agreed with the prosecution’s submissions and found that the accused had failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances warranting his release on bail. The court further acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations in the context of the country’s ongoing struggle with gender-based violence (GBV), which remains a pervasive and deeply concerning issue in communities.

The matter has been remanded to 18 August 2025 for further investigations.

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