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Cheslin Marsh will be getting a much-needed hearing aid, courtesy of an ear institute in Cape Town.
Marsh lost hearing in one ear after a brutal attack that left his friend and fellow Stellenbosch University student Hannah Cornelius dead.
Cornelius' family initially set up a page to raise money to buy the hearing aid for Marsh, 22, Netwerk24 reported on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning the campaign had exceeded its initial R15 000 target by raising more than R20 000.
Speaking to Cape Talk morning show host Kieno Kammies on Wednesday, Cornelius' cousin Lali van Zuydam elaborated on the family's initiative. The station then received a call from Charnae Pieterse of the Ear Institute in Bellville, who pledged to fully sponsor Cheslin's hearing aids.
The money raised on the Backabuddy page set up for him should rather be used towards his studies or medical expenses, Pieterse said.
Eben van Niekerk, Geraldo Parsons, Vernon Witbooi and Nashville Julius allegedly accosted Cornelius, 21, and Marsh in her VW Citi Golf in Stellenbosch in the early hours of May 27, 2017.
Cornelius was threatened with a screwdriver, while Marsh was forced into the backseat of his friend's car at knife-point.
Marsh was assaulted and left for dead, while Cornelius was later raped and stabbed to death. The four accused are now standing trial on charges of murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and rape.
Emotional testimony
On October 11, Marsh testified in the Western Cape High Court that the last thing he remembers about the night Cornelius was raped and murdered was his attackers forcing him to lay his head on a brick in a "bushy" area.
"I just closed my eyes and started praying," he said. He would only regain consciousness the next afternoon.
The attack left Marsh deaf in his left ear.
During his testimony, Marsh wept inconsolably as he attempted to recount details of that fateful night.
According to Netwerk24, Cornelius' family decided to do something positive, in light of the tragedies that had befallen them.
This included the death of Hannah's mother, Anna, 56, on March 23 this year. Anna reportedly drowned while taking a swim at Scarborough Beach in Cape Town.
The trial of the four accused will resume on Wednesday for judgment.
Hannah Cornelius. (Supplied)
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