‘We didn’t do it’: Men accused of robbing missing German tourist to remain behind bars

Igshaan Fisher, Jason Abrahams, Vanroy Petersen, Carlo Guenantin and Melvin Guenantin greeted loved ones in the gallery as they made their way into the dock.

• The men arrested in connection with the disappearance of tourist Nick Frischke will not be applying for bail.
• The accused blew kisses and waved at their loved ones before proceedings commenced in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on Monday.
• Official search operations were called off on Friday after almost three weeks of combing Karbonkelberg and the surrounding area.

As the police try to find new leads to resume the search for missing Nick Frischke, five men appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on Monday in connection with the robbery of the German tourist.

Igshaan Fisher, Jason Abrahams, Vanroy Petersen, Carlo Guenantin and Melvin Guenantin blew kisses and waved at their loved ones in the gallery as they entered the dock. None of them will be applying for bail.

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The case was postponed to 4 May for further investigation as the police still required witness statements, DNA and cellphone evidence.

“We didn’t do it,” one of the accused mumbled as they were led back into the holding cells.

The men are understood to have claimed that Frischke, 22, ran off after he was held up.

No trace of him has been found. Photos of the suspects cannot be published, as an identity parade may be held as part of the investigation.

Official search operations were called off on Friday after nearly three weeks of combing Karbonkelberg and the surrounding area. Police said searches would resume as new information was received.

Frischke, who arrived in South Africa on 6 February, for what was supposed to be a two-week holiday, went missing on 15 February.

He left his Airbnb accommodation in Pinelands and never returned, and the landlord informed his worried family in Germany that he was missing.

READ | Maps, mediums and a private eye: inside the quest to trace missing German tourist’s last steps

Frischke, from Brandenberg near Cottbus, was later seen on CCTV footage at the V&A Waterfront, wearing blue denim shorts, a beige T-shirt and sneakers. He then used an e-haling service and travelled to Hout Bay for a planned hike. He also registered for a surfing course, but never pitched.

Frischke, who does not have a good command of English, is believed to have been robbed on 15 February.

Two people were arrested on a robbery charge a week after his disappearance because they were found with Frischke’s belongings, including his credit card. Three more people were apprehended days later.