Johan Williams (47), alleged killer of Chantell Matthysen,
dined with the deceased and her family
on Christmas day in 2016, Matthysen’s mother Carol Petersen revealed this week.
She spoke to TygerBurger in an exclusive interview at her
home in Sarepta, Kuils River yesterday (4 July.)
The lunch came about after the 47-year-old accused, assisted
Chantell Matthysen and her son who were stranded at Wellington train station
that year.
“This all started around Easter 2016. My daughter (Chantell)
and her son were on their way to Worcester, but they got into the wrong train
and ended up in Wellington. Johan (Williams) was a security guard at the
station. When he (Johan) learned that Chantell took the wrong train, he looked
after her and her son for the night. There were no more trains coming past
Wellington because there are only a few trains a day. The following morning he
made sure they made it to Worcester by putting her on a taxi,” said Petersen.
Matthysen told her mother that Williams bought them supper
and made sure they were safe on the night they were stranded.
As a token of her appreciation, Petersen and her husband
invited Williams, his wife and three children to their home for Christmas
lunch.
“We even bought his children gifts because we couldn’t thank
him enough and also gave them money to go back home to Wellington. We were just
very grateful.”
They became well-acquainted during that time.
In the months leading up to Matthysen leaving for Wellington
on the fateful Saturday (23 June 2018),
Petersen says that their family had remained in contact with Williams.
Williams contacted Petersen to inform her that his wife had
found Matthysen a job as a wine packer at a farm in Wellington. He insisted
that she come that day because it was apparently a night shift position.
“Chantell left home at 13:00 (on Saturday 23 June) to
Bellville train station. She contacted me to say that there’s only a train at
15:00 to Wellington. At 16:20, she sent me another message to say he (Johan
Williams) had met her at the station and that she was safe. At 17:20, Chantell
messaged me again to say that they had walked for an hour and they are finally
at his place.
“She described his place as a ‘klein hokkie’ (wendy house)
with a double bed and couch which she assumed she would sleep on. Chantell
messaged me after she had supper then told me she felt like sleeping. I then
started questioning where his wife is because Chantell was supposed to work
night shift with her.”
“Williams told her his wife was in Citrusdal because her
mother apparently had a heart attack, but assured Petersen that she would be
back in time for night shift. I messaged him again then all of a sudden he said
his wife organised for them to work day shift.”
Petersen explained that during the time her daughter had
been away, she felt content because she remained in contact with her and never
grew too suspicious.
“Sunday morning I chatted to Chantell again, but from his
phone because her phone’s battery was flat. In the message, she said she had
started working that morning. She messaged me again after 09:00, but the
message was weird. She used big Afrikaans words such as ‘behulpsaam’. Then
Sunday evening I received another message in which it said: ‘Ek weet nie hoekom
ek nou so baie na julle verlang. Lief vir ma, my kind en stief pa.’
“I was shocked because she never calls me ‘ma’ and she never
refers to her son as ‘my kind’. She calls her son on his first name because she
always felt strongly that he had his own identity.”
For two days (Monday and Tuesday) Petersen insisted on speaking
to her daughter in person on the phone, as she started getting suspicious of
the “weird messages”.
During this time Williams always responded by saying he was
not with Matthysen.
“On the Wednesday we left home to drive to Wellington.
During this time, I was chatting to Johan, but never told him that we’re on our
way to his place. In a message, he told me he was on his way to George.
“When we arrived at his place, I let someone else knock on
the door, which he opened. He directed us to the farm at which Chantell was
apparently working but when we got there, we saw that there was no such thing
as wine packing and someone told us that she doesn’t know my daughter, nor her
name.”
Petersen then approached the police station where she was
informed that Williams’ wife had obtained an interdict against him and had left
him two weeks prior.
Residents in the area confirmed that they had seen Chantell.
“Police instructed us not to go to Johan’s house in case we
came across evidence of my daughter.”
The mom-of-two says they were able to obtain a court order
to track his phone. Williams was on the run for five days before being arrested
on Monday.
“He did not turn himself in. Police caught him. When they
arrested him, I also saw him and begged him to tell me where my daughter is. He
then asked me to arrange to bring his child to the police station so he could
see his daughter, and in turn he would reveal where Chantell was.
“We arranged the visitation, after which he indicated where
her body was,” says Petersen.
Petersen identified her daughter’s body on Tuesday, 3 July.
Williams appeared in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court on
Wednesday 4 July on a charge of murder. He was remanded in custody.
“He is expected to appear in court on Friday 13 July. The
case is still under investigation. Other charges may be added once our
investigation is complete,” says Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant
Noloyiso Rwexana.
Matthysen will be laid to rest on Saturday 7 July at the
Kalkfontein Primary School Hall at 10:00. Her body will be cremated.
On Wednesday a group of young women in Sarepta held a march
in protest of the murder of Matthysen.
Rushade Fortuin (21) told TygerBurger she was so moved by the
story as it was so close to home. “We weren’t personal friends, but knowing
that she was betrayed this way was wrong.”
The march started at Sarepta’s sports grounds and ended at
Matthysen’s home.
