Flowers and placards are laid outside the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court in memory of slain former detective Anneke “Nicky” van Heerden
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
The man accused of murdering former detective Anneke “Nicky” van Heerden had been blocked from attending the Summer Solstice Festival because of what organisers described as his “aggressive behaviour”.
WhatsApp messages seen by IOL show organisers informing Bevan van Druten in November last year that he was not allowed to attend the event.
The Summer Solstice Festival is an annual gathering held in December at a Garden Route well-being sanctuary.
The event focuses on spirituality, music, healing practices and alternative wellness activities to mark the longest day of the year.
In the messages, organisers told Van Druten, 53, that he would not be permitted to attend the upcoming festival.
"Good morning Bevan," the first message said.
"After much reflection, and having considered all the sensitivities, we respectfully request that you don't attend our Summer Solstice gathering this year.
"There are a number of females who do not feel safe with you around and, as the primary space holders, we have to show care towards them."
About two months later, 54-year-old Van Heerden’s battered and bruised body was found on a sand dune along Keurbooms Beach in Plettenberg Bay on January 18.
Van Druten was arrested the next morning after handing himself over to police.
At the time, police said officers responded to reports of a woman screaming in the area.
On arrival, they found the body of a woman with multiple injuries. She was declared dead at the scene.
Nicky van Heerden, 54
Image: SUPPLIED
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said: “Police members responded to a complaint of a woman who was screaming.
“Upon arrival at the scene, they found the victim next to a vehicle with injuries to her body.
"The victim was declared dead at the scene by medical personnel.”
The vehicle Twigg referred to was later confirmed to be Van Druten’s bakkie. He was arrested and charged with a Schedule 6 murder.
Van Druten, who lived in Wilderness but recently moved to Plettenberg Bay, is well known along the Garden Route for his sculptures and was frequently featured in the media with his pieces.
He also sold his work internationally.
He has since appeared in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court. At his most recent appearance, he abandoned his bid for bail.
During that appearance, he told magistrate Stephan Lourens that he saw himself as the Archangel Michael and that Van Heerden was Jesus Christ.
He read from a handwritten letter and spoke about his beliefs before confirming that he no longer wished to apply for bail.
The court then ordered that he undergo psychiatric evaluation at Valkenberg Hospital.
The matter has been postponed to March 6.
Garden Route artist Bevan van Druten during his previous appearance
Image: Ayanda Ndamane
The festival incident is one of several details that have emerged since his arrest.
Speaking to IOL on Friday, festival co-founder Dion Viljoen said they decided not to allow Van Druten to attend after receiving complaints from women.
“We were inundated with complaints from women who said he had been aggressive towards them,” Viljoen said.
“As a result of that, we told him sorry but you cannot attend.”
Viljoen said Van Druten initially reacted calmly to the message in November, but the following day he sent further messages expressing anger.
“He said he was not satisfied and called the festival and its people nonsense,” Viljoen said.
“He also asked why we allowed other people who had done the same. We knew he was the problem. He blamed Rocco Viljoen, but we know Rocco did nothing.”
Rocco is a former pastor who has previously faced public accusations from some community members that he ran a cult in Plettenberg Bay.
He has denied wrongdoing and has since said he no longer identifies as a Christian but as a spiritualist.
The cult allegations caused division in the town but is not linked to the murder charge.
In another IOL exclusive on Friday, it was reported that a group of women, operating between Cape Town, the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape, targeted the vulnerable by selling "healing services"
A man who used to make use of these services said: “They are a psychedelic cult and sell healing for anything, from cancer to Aids.
“I have physically experienced it, and they have pumped me full of drugs before.
"You have to keep buying medicine from them and they receive all their money as donations and have several bank accounts as well as PayPal."
He added: “They use ayahuasca, ibogaine and mushrooms for psychedelic trips.
“They give it to young children when they feel they have come of age, or at moon parties when the daughters start their periods.
“They also do what they call ‘death support circles’, where they help people with dying."
It is alleged that Van Druten was part of the same psychedelic clique.
After Van Druten’s arrest, several women came forward claiming they had previously sought protection orders against him.
Those claims were exclusively reported by IOL and are separate from the murder case.
An elderly woman at the time said he had "tormented" her for a long time, but the final straw came on January 23 2024.
That was when Van Druten allegedly refused to let them leave in their car as they tried to take their cleaner home.
“My friend and I and our two dogs decided to take our domestic worker to the taxi rank,” the woman said on condition she not be named.
“As we got out of the driveway, there Bevan was in front of our car and his car in front of the gate.”
She said he “basically held us hostage for about an hour”.
“We were in the vehicle," she said.
"And because we had our phones with us, I called [a security company] and they heard everything Bevan said.
"Our domestic worker took a picture and the security company and the police arrived … they then managed to talk him down and got him across the road.
"They also told him to reverse his car back to his property. The police decided to take us to the station where we gave our statements.”
IOL is in possession of the statement and the case number.
Asked to confirm the case number, police spokesman Warrant Officer Chris Spies said: “It is not within our scope or authority to verify case numbers.”
In a separate incident in 2023, a second woman said she and a friend were sitting on the veranda at her house, chatting.
“Bevan then [allegedly] arrived at the gate at about 11pm,” she said, also refusing to be named.
“I walked out to the gate; he pushed it onto my stomach.
"I slapped him … he then pulled my hair and punched me, dragged me to the pavement. I was then on the ground and he was kicking me.”
Another woman said she started shouting after seeing what he had allegedly done to her friend.
“He came over to me and he pulled my right arm and kicked my legs from underneath me. It’s apparently a judo or martial arts move.
"I broke a bone in my hand, which then required an operation.”
She said they shouted for their other friend to call the police.
“He then ran away, which was peculiar because it was 11pm at night. He was in this stupid hat. What on earth was he doing coming to attack at 11pm at night?”
Police arrived shortly afterwards, but the women said they were too afraid to go onto Van Druten's property because he had two aggressive dogs.
Van Heerden was a former detective who had worked in Plettenberg Bay and was known in the community. She also worked in Angola for many years and travelled Africa.
Friends said she had started a relationship with Van Druten after she met him in September.
Van Heerden's friend Mariella Rossi previously said: “She didn't deserve to die so brutally.”
Samantha Cartwright, also a friend, said she wanted to make sure justice prevailed.
“I want the accused to remain in jail.”
Van Heerden's brother-in-law and family spokesperson Hein Bruwer also previously said: “We loved her very much and she was full of life.
“She always brought light into our lives and those around her.
"We are heartbroken by what has happened and we cannot comment on the merits of the case.”
IOL