- Nadia Lotz was brutally murdered in March, allegedly by her partner of 14 years.
- Charles Appolis appeared in court on Tuesday.
- Lotz’s family were disappointed they weren’t allowed inside the courtroom to witness proceedings.
A Cape Town family expressed their disappointment after they were denied access to the courtroom in which the man accused of killing Nadia Lotz appeared on Tuesday.
Charles Appolis appeared in the Strand Magistrate’s Court for the murder of his partner, Lotz. She was killed following an “argument”.
Appolis handed himself over to the police after Lotz’s brutal death.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said the case was postponed to 14 August for a regional court date.
Lotz’s family were not allowed inside to witness proceedings. They were held in a “container” courtroom.
Nadia’s heartbroken father, Hendrik Lotz, said he couldn’t understand why he was not allowed in, to hear what the magistrate said to the accused.
READ | ‘He is a vicious man’: Cape Town family speak out after Nadia Lotz murder
“We came from Malmesbury and hoped something would happen here. But when we [arrived], they told us no one [was] allowed inside and we must wait outside, which we did,” Lotz said.
He was “very disappointed” that he couldn’t see the man who allegedly took his daughter’s life.
“We have every right to be inside the courtroom. And it’s unfair that even me, as her father, was not allowed to go inside.”
A group of people gather at the Strand Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
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The container courtroom where proceedings were held at the Strand Magistrate’s Court.
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Nadia’s cousin, Sylvia Scheepers, said the family was upset and angry the matter had been postponed again.
“This man ripped our lives apart when he killed my cousin in such a gruesome way. The way he killed her will remain with us forever,” said Scheepers.
“We assumed it was because the container was very small and could not accommodate us all. I had to watch Charles through a small window as he was brought to the court.
“It was the first time in 14 years that I saw this man. He was so jealous that he wouldn’t allow Nadia to be with her family. She and I would only communicate on the phone because he would get upset if she wanted to visit us.”
She alleged that Appolis was abusive to Nadia and would often beat her so badly that she needed “lots of make-up to cover up the visible scars”.
Nadia had dated Appolis for 14 years and was the mother of their three children – aged one, seven and eight.
Family and community members were not allowed inside court on Tuesday.
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Nadia Lotz’s family members outside court on Tuesday.
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Family and friends supporting the family of Nadia Lotz, who was killed allegedly by her partner of 14 years.
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She worked at a local ice cream shop.
“She lived for her children and her parents. Everything she did was for them because she adored them so much. And now she is no longer around. It’s sad,” Scheepers said.
Trying to hold back the tears, Scheepers said she now looked after Nadia’s children.
“Looking at them is like looking directly at Nadia. We miss her daily, and moving on without her is very difficult,” she said.
Last Friday would have been Nadia’s 33rd birthday.
Scheepers said it was an emotional day.
The family of Nadia Lotz put up a cross at the scene where her body was found.
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The cross put up by the family at the scene where Nadia Lotz’s body was found.
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“I couldn’t phone or message her to wish her for her birthday. It was so hard to get through the day without hearing her voice,” Scheepers said.
Action Society’s spokesperson, Ian Cameron, said they came out to support the family and to highlight the plight of victims who suffer at the hands of their partners.
He said Appolis had been out on bail for a separate stabbing at the time of the murder.
“Considering the various other protection orders against him and a long history of domestic abuse, he was a danger to society. Had the police and justice department done their jobs, Nadia would be alive today,” Cameron said.
After court proceedings, the family returned to the scene where Nadia’s body was found.
“We put up a cross in memory of her life. I still cannot believe she’s gone, and I cannot accept that this is our life now,” Scheepers said.
“What is more hurtful is that the father of her kids is the one who did this to us. Justice must be served.”