Murder accused Donovan Williams is expected to return to the Kariega Magistrates’ Court this week in connection with a series of murders and kidnappings in the Kariega area. (Photo: Supplied / SAPS) As the family of Irvincia Basson left the courtroom at the Kariega Magistrates’ Court on Friday, a woman’s voice echoed through the corridors as she yelled after them.
“If you have something to say to me, say it to my face. You know what your daughter did, and now you can’t even face me!”
The court building went quiet as Allison Khayat vented her anger and frustration at the family of the woman accused of kidnapping her husband nearly a year ago.
However, the matter could not proceed as scheduled. Technical problems at the court’s holding cells led to safety concerns that resulted in prisoners being taken back to the St Albans prison. Their cases were postponed in absentia until Thursday, 23 July.
Among the prisoners were Basson and her co-accused, Donovan “Poenie” Williams, whose name appeared on Nelson Mandela Bay police’s most wanted list before his arrest.
Multiple charges
The duo faces a laundry list of charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, robbery, assault and fraud.
While the cases against them date back to 2021, Williams’ name was first made public in February 2026 with a police statement asking the public’s assistance for any information that could lead to his arrest. He was alleged to be involved in the disappearance of Quinton “Doenas” Plaatjies, whose family reported him missing in Kariega in October 2020.
According to the statement, Plaatjies was lured to an address in Fiskaal Street, in the suburb of Kamesh, and never seen again.
“It is alleged that Williams, together with three accomplices, switched off the electricity supply to the residence before storming inside, armed with handguns. The victim was allegedly assaulted, tied up and forced into a vehicle before the suspects fled the scene. He has not been seen since. Following the kidnapping, funds were reportedly withdrawn from the victim’s bank account and purchases were made at several shops,” police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said.
A charge of murder has since been added to the kidnapping.
/file/attachments/orphans/Riaan-DonovanWilliams4_786193.jpg "The disappearance of Quinton ‘Doenas’ Plaatjies in 2020 has also been linked to Williams and Basson. (Photo: Facebook)")
In October 2025, police investigations led to the issue of a warrant of arrest for Williams.
More information has since linked him to two double murders.
While little information is available on these cases, due to the sensitivity of the investigation, the police stated that Williams was the prime suspect in the murders of Earl Classen and Clarissa Swart in September 2021, as well as the murders of Isaac Moses and Merlyn Elkenstead in April 2022.
Most recently, Williams was also tied to the disappearance of Loay Khayat, reported as missing in August 2025. This matter bore several similarities to the Plaatjies case.
On 11 June, the police offered a R30,000 reward for information that could assist in the apprehension of Williams. The following day, a tip-off led to his arrest.
At that stage, Basson was already behind bars for the alleged kidnapping and robbery in October 2025 of a man who had his personal belongings taken at gunpoint while money was being drawn from his accounts.
/file/attachments/orphans/Riaan-DonovanWilliams3_278540.jpg "Co-accused Irvincia Basson will return to the Uitenhage Magistrates’ Court alongside Donovan Williams later this week. (Photo: Facebook)")
On 1 July, while already in custody, Basson was again arrested after she was also tied to Williams and the string of murders and disappearances on his rap sheet.
The most recent case against the duo is the disappearance of Loay Khayat, whose family last had contact with him on 13 August 2025.
Williams and Basson were scheduled to make their first appearance in the dock together on Friday. However, all matters pertaining to the accused, who remain in custody, were postponed.
According to court staff, a technical fault had occurred at the gates of the court’s holding cells. Due to safety concerns, the prisoners never made it into the building and were immediately transported back to prison. All the cases, including that of Williams and Basson, were rescheduled.
At court, Khayat’s wife of 13 years, Allison, spoke openly about the circumstances of her husband’s disappearance, threats to her family and her ongoing quest for justice.
She said at the time of Loay’s disappearance, they were going through some marital problems, mainly involving their religious differences. He had been staying alone at a guesthouse in Kariega for a little more than a month, but the couple were still in constant communication.
/file/attachments/orphans/Riaan-DonovanWilliams2_226150.jpg "Loay Khayat went missing in August 2025, and while the police suspect he might have been murdered, his family still hopes that he will be found alive. (Photo: Facebook)")
“We were busy patching things up, and he had told me he was not planning on going through with the divorce.
“However, a week before his disappearance, his behaviour changed. He started acting suspicious and spoke about these people, Donovan and Irvincia, that he met at the guesthouse who he was working with, who said they would protect him.
“I last saw him on 13 August when he came to our house to collect his clean laundry. I asked him what was going on, and he became cagey, like he was involved in something that he shouldn’t be. He left our house and I never saw him again,” Allison said.
When she didn’t hear from him, Allison looked into her husband’s banking activities. On the night of his disappearance, she noted several suspicious transactions from his bank account, including several R5,000 withdrawals, as well as thousands of rands spent on fuel at a filling station in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Private investigator
She reported her husband missing and appointed a private investigator to look into his disappearance.
Through his investigation, the PI found that members in the Kariega and Kamesh communities, related to the two accused, were trying to create suspicion around Allison, pointing fingers at her for being involved in Loay’s disappearance.
This raised a red flag with Allison about recent incidents she had heard of where people were being killed for fraudulent life insurance and funeral policies.
“We later discovered that a file containing my husband’s identification documents, as well as documents for myself and our children, had gone missing from the guesthouse.
“We had to flee Kariega because I fear for our safety. No one knows where we are staying, because I can’t risk putting our lives in danger.”
A source close to the case confirmed that possible links between the string of deaths and fraudulent funeral policies were part of the investigation, and they were following a similar investigative route as the police’s specialised Murder for Money Task Team.
Asked about the confrontation between her and the members of Basson’s family inside the courthouse, Allison said she could no longer contain her frustration.
“The police may have given up, thinking my husband is dead, but I cannot accept it. I still believe he is being held somewhere against his will.
“I am frustrated with the case, with how the police handled the investigation … the delays at court. And seeing Irvincia’s family, I just felt they must know something. I could not contain myself. I had to say something.”
After attending court, Allison has again gone into hiding, but said she would continue to keep tabs on the case and would attend court proceedings again when she felt it was safe to do so.
“I want to look these people in the eye. I want to see them standing in that dock at court. I want them to see me sitting there, and I want to ask them where they are keeping my husband. I cannot leave this case until I know,” Allison said. DM