Grant du Toit, a 46-year-old man from South Africa, has been named as the alleged perpetrator behind the murder of his mother, Charlotte Christine Fenn, in what has become known as the Charlotte Christine Fenn Murder Case. Fenn, who was 67 years old at the time of her death, owned three small businesses.
Du Toit's father, Alan du Toit, is currently employed at Jambo Milling in Hammanskraal's Otto's Dal region. Du Toit has two siblings - Loraine Venter, who has cerebral palsy, and Renee Gericke, who is Charlotte's second child from her first marriage to Piet Venter.
Du Toit attended Die Anker School in Vanderbijlpark in 1994, where he completed Standard 6. He comes from a middle-working-class family and lived on the small holdings in Sonlanpark with his mother.
Du Toit and Zelda had a 16-year partnership but were never married. They have a son, Rio du Toit, who is 16 years old. According to Marlene du Toit, Grant's stepmother, Grant loves Rio and always wants the best for him. Grant was an ex-drug addict and stopped using drugs when Rio came to stay with him in 2017. He also stopped smoking in 2019.
Du Toit's character has been described as respectable, always on time, tidy, caring, loving father, kind person, shows his emotions, is not a violent person, helps others in need, cares for the elderly, and is a hard worker.
Du Toit's bail application was heard at the Regional Court in Vereeniging on 9 March 2023. He presented the court with his accounts of 2 February 2023. Du Toit claimed that on that day, he was at home with his mother and worked in the garage until noon. He later discovered that she was not at home, which was not unusual due to gardening services. Du Toit received a phone call to pick up the workers, as his mother did not arrive. When Fenn did not return home, Du Toit thought she was with his sister Renee.
Workers arrived on Friday, 3 February 2023, and Du Toit allowed them to work on the small holding. Fenn was still missing.
Danielle Badenhorst, Fenn's granddaughter and daughter of Renee, phoned Du Toit to ask about her grandmother. He told her that he last saw her on Thursday, 2 February 2023. Badenhorst phoned her mother, who confirmed that Fenn was not with her. Du Toit suggested filing a missing person report, which Badenhorst agreed to do.
On 4 February, Du Toit was arrested for the kidnapping of his mother. On 7 February, he was informed of his mother's death and emotionally broke down. The SAPS interrogated him and accused him of being involved. Du Toit denied being involved in the kidnapping or murder of his mother.
The court granted Du Toit bail on conditions of R2000, no contact with the witness, and staying with his father, Alan, at Jumbo Milling in Hammanskraal's Otto's Dal region. The state is still waiting for DNA test results.