Police continue investigating the murder of 43-year-old Nicolette Overbeek, who was fatally shot outside her Somerset West home off Winery Road on Tuesday 28 October.
Overbeek was found dead in her vehicle in her driveway around 08:00 with two gunshot wounds to the driver’s side, confirmed police spokesperson Sergeant Suzan Jantjies. “She died on the scene,” Jantjies stated.
A neighbour who witnessed the aftermath initially mistook the gunshots for Overbeek usual practice of firing a pellet gun to deter strangers at night. When another neighbour called with concerns about bullet holes visible in the car window, they decided to investigate together. “We saw the car, walked in and looked, and saw the window shattered. We saw her in the car bleeding from her head,” the neighbour said. She immediately called police and security services.
The deceased, Nicolette Overbeek.
Photo: Facebook
Overbeek’s mother described her daughter as “somebody who was loved by everyone” and “a God-fearing person who didn’t deserve this”. She learned of the tragedy through a devastating phone call from her son: “He said, ‘Mommy, there’s been a shooting by Nicolette’s house’. I asked whether she is all right and he said, ‘No, Mommy, she’s dead’.”
The deceased’s sister-in-law shared: “She was jovial; she didn’t have a hateful heart. She loved everybody. She kept the family together.” The family member revealed they had recently celebrated together as a family: “Just on Saturday, we had a family gathering. I celebrated my birthday and her son…we were all together.”
Family members revealed that Overbeek had been living in fear due to ongoing safety concerns. “She knew that this day was coming,” a relative said.
Photo: Jamey Gordon
It has since emerged that Overbeek had laid domestic violence charges against her estranged husband at Somerset West Police Station in February last year, allegedly enduring ongoing threats, intimidation and trauma since opening the case. Police sources confirmed her case and several related cases opened by family members. Overbeek’s next court appearance had been scheduled for 3 December. Jantjies said the investigation remains in a “sensitive” stage, with police working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the shooting. Video footage of the incident has been obtained.
DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette initially withheld the victim’s identity out of respect for her family.
- A memorial service for Overbeek will be held at the Mountain View Baptist church located in Hazelden Drive, Heritage Park, Somerset West at 11:00 on Saturday 8 November.
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