Station Strangler cop dies
PASSION: Inspector André Oliver, 59, from Westridge in Mitchells Plain. Picture supplied
The man, who led the investigation into the notorious Station Strangler in Mitchells Plain, has died.
Retired cop André Oliver and his wife Abigail both passed away due to Covid-19 complications last week.
Inspector Oliver, 59, as he was known, headed the infamous child murder cases that rocked the Cape Flats between 1986 and 1994.
He died a day before his 60th birthday on 19 August, while Abigail, 57, passed away on his birthday.
The couple was hospitalised with their two daughters who have both recovered from Covid.
Their only son Kurt Oliver says it’s been a horrific time for their family.
“My mother, father and two sisters were rushed to hospital one day after the other,” he says.
“They spent several days at Gatesville Melomed Hospital and my sisters were discharged a few days later but my parents stayed on and then died a day apart.
“My dad spent two weeks in hospital and my mother spent three weeks in hospital.
“She didn’t know that my dad died as they were both in induced comas.”
Kurt said his father had high blood pressure and his mother had asthma.
The Westridge resident was well-known for his work and Kurt says his father will always be remembered as a dedicated cop who gave his all to protect the public.
All the Station Strangler’s victims were sodomised and strangled with their clothing, hands bound behind their backs, their shoes removed and their faces planted into the sand.
Former teacher Norman Afzal Simons is presently serving a 25-year sentence for only one victim – the 1994 murder of 10-year-old Elroy van Rooyen.
Kurt, who was a young boy at the time, says his father never went into detail about the case with his family.
“I remember the days my dad worked on the Station Strangler case.
“My sister and I were around the same age as the child victims in the case.
“It was a difficult time for us as a family.
“At the time, my dad was always working around the clock but I remember seeing the passion and commitment my dad had, to stop whoever was responsible for the killings of the children.
“It was then when I realised my dad’s love for people and how he became a beacon of hope to many.”
Resident and police officer Spencer Fillis said André was always willing to give advice and assist where he could.
“If it came to any police work advice, it was Uncle Andrè who could give it; he knew it all and was a very patient man,” Spencer says.
“He loved serving his community with feeding schemes or any service he could provide to develop his community.”
The joint funeral of André and Abigail will be held on Wednesday.
A drive-by memorial will take place today at 5pm at the family’s Shetland Crescent, Westridge home.