They were the twin murders that enraged a community and shocked a nation. On Saturday, 26 May 2018, 19-year-old Xander Bylsma murdered Sharnelle Hough (17) and Marna Engelbrecht (16) in their hostel in the small town of Stella.
The tight-knit farming community in North West was left aghast, not only at the loss of the two beloved girls, but also at the manner of their death. Bylsma strangled the best friends with his bare hands in an act of pure savagery. Hough was Bylsma’s ex-girlfriend and Engelbrecht was his cousin.
Renowned journalist and writer of the book House of Horrors, Susan Cilliers, documented the tragic tale of loss, jealousy and vengeance in Die Stella-moorde (The Stella Murders), her sophomore effort.
Cilliers, who completed her Communication Studies degree as well as her master’s degree at the North-West University (NWU), is a senior journalist for Netwerk24 and Beeld in North West.
“I didn’t choose the Stella story, it chose me. I had to report on it in my capacity as reporter for Netwerk24. It was difficult and it was taxing, but also very interesting. When Lapa Publishers again asked me to write a book (they had also contacted her to write House of Horrors), I realised that I would regret it if I did not do it because I had all the information I needed to do so. The fact that I had already written a book gave me the self-confidence to tackle such a project again,” she explains.
“It was again a big challenge to test and enhance my skills. I also felt that people had followed the case fragmentally over three years, and that it would be good to capture the story cohesively with all the most important facts in one document. It was also important for me because I felt that it would help give the girls’ parents closure. Also, I felt that, in the greater scheme of things, the principle of justice should be seen and heard. The media plays a central role in this,” says Cilliers.
Although she is a veteran who has covered many a tragic story, the Stella murders was a unique experience to Susan.
“The Stella murders affected me personally because they were so ruthless and cold in nature, and especially because the murderer, Xander Bylsma, knew the girls he had murdered. It scares you to think that such evil can be in your inner circle without you knowing about it. I tried to dissociate myself emotionally, especially by focusing on the facts and the witnesses during the trial. On a personal note, I feel really sorry for all the families involved, also for Xander’s parents. That is why it was so difficult for me to approach them, because they were totally stunned, exhausted and broken. Xander destroyed his own parents’ lives as well as those of the murdered girls’ families. That tragedy, and especially the fact that he had no insight into what he had done, or showed any remorse, deeply upset me.”
It was a harrowing experience that translates to a harrowing read. And an important one.
Susan Cilliers pages through her second book, Die Stella-moorde (The Stella Murders) Photo: Venessa Van der Westhuizen
Bertie Jacobs
