Pardon Danhire, the Zimbabwean gardener convicted of murdering Alberton mother Nadine Terblanche and her nine-year-old son, Ruandré Vorster, returned to the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, where he gave a detailed account of how the two were killed.
Danhire’s appearance was not a sentencing hearing. He was testifying as a State witness in the ongoing murder trial of his former co-accused, Frederick “Freddie” Stapelberg. Danhire was already sentenced in February 2025 to 25 years for each murder, with the sentences running concurrently. Five years of his sentence were suspended on condition that he gives truthful evidence against Stapelberg.
The November 2023 murders
Terblanche and her nine-year-old son were killed at their Randhart, Alberton home on 27 November 2023.
Stapelberg, who was in a romantic relationship with Terblanche, is facing two counts of premeditated murder and two counts of attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody. His trial is being heard separately from Danhire’s case.
Danhire, 37 at the time of his conviction, had worked as a gardener for the couple. He was arrested on the day of the murders.
The State alleges that Stapelberg arranged for the killings, with Danhire telling investigators and later the court that he had been promised money to carry them out.
‘I struck her on the left side of the head with an axe’
Giving evidence on 9 September, Danhire described the attack on Terblanche in graphic detail.
He told the court that he entered her bedroom while she was sleeping and attacked her with an axe.
“When I got to her bedroom, I struck her on the left side of the head with an axe. She started shaking and convulsing, and I saw blood flowing from her head,” Danhire testified.
He said he then removed the axe and washed it in the kitchen sink.
According to earlier evidence, Terblanche had gone into the house for a nap after swimming while Ruandré was outside playing.
How Danhire says Ruandré was killed
Danhire also gave the court an account of how he killed the nine-year-old boy.
He said he lured Ruandré into the house by telling him that he wanted to show him something.
Once inside, Danhire said he put the child on a bed before suffocating him with a pillow.
“I lifted him up and put him on the bed, and then I pushed him, took the pillow, covered his face and pressed him with the pillow until I saw that he was dead,” he told the court.
The testimony provided the court with a detailed account from the man who has already admitted responsibility for the two killings.
The alleged R100 000 murder deal
One of the most significant aspects of Danhire’s evidence is his allegation that Stapelberg promised him R100 000 to carry out the killings.
Dan hire also testified about a separate R7 600 that he said Stapelberg owed him.
The State has previously alleged that Danhire was hired to kill Terblanche because Stapelberg wanted access to her assets. The NPA said when Danhire was sentenced that he had confessed and implicated Stapelberg as the person who allegedly hired him.
However, the allegation remains part of the case against Stapelberg. He has pleaded not guilty and has disputed the version implicating him.
Why Danhire is now a State witness
The reason Danhire is now giving evidence against Stapelberg dates back to his own plea and sentence agreement.
In February 2025, Danhire pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced by the Johannesburg High Court to 25 years for each murder, to run concurrently.
The court suspended five years of the sentence on condition that he truthfully testify against Stapelberg.
NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said at the time that the court departed from the prescribed life sentence because Danhire had cooperated with the State, accepted responsibility and shown remorse.
His conviction therefore predates the evidence he gave on 9 September 2026.
Stapelberg’s alleged role remains before the court
Stapelberg’s trial is now focused on whether the State can prove that he was involved in the planning and execution of the murders.
The court has already heard evidence about Stapelberg’s injuries, the movements of Terblanche’s vehicle and an alleged confrontation outside the Randhart property involving Danhire, an axe and a security officer.
Previous evidence also indicated that a panic button was activated after an alleged confrontation between Stapelberg and Danhire. The NPA previously said the victims’ bodies were discovered after a security company was summoned to the property.
Dan hire’s evidence puts the alleged murder-for-hire plot under the spotlight
The 9 September proceedings marked a significant moment in the case because the man who has already admitted killing Terblanche and Ruandré was now sitting in the witness box describing the alleged events and implicating the man he says hired him.
But Danhire’s evidence is not, by itself, a conviction for Stapelberg.
The defence is expected to challenge his account, and the court will ultimately have to assess his credibility alongside the other evidence presented by the State.
For now, Danhire remains a convicted double murderer serving his sentence, while Stapelberg remains an accused person who has pleaded not guilty.
The trial continues
The murder trial continued on 10 September 2026, with Danhire’s evidence forming a central part of the State’s case.
The proceedings are expected to further examine Danhire’s account, the alleged R100 000 payment, the relationship between Stapelberg and Terblanche, and what happened inside and outside the Randhart home on 27 November 2023.
