In a new development, a purported deadly house robbery turned into a murder conspiracy probe, with slain Gqeberha businessman Danie de Jager’s long-time partner and their two tenants being arrested.
Estelle le Grange, 57, had told the police that she was tied up and gagged by the intruders who went on to kill 65-year-old De Jager during the early hours of Thursday.
But on Monday, looking frail and expressionless, the petite woman, who had posted multiple tributes to the man on Facebook professing her love for him, found herself in the dock of the Gqeberha magistrate’s court.
Appearing alongside Le Grange were couple Leeroy Scholtz and Anke-Marie Cilliers, both 36.
The couple, who rented a back room at the Mangold Street, Newton Park, house, had initially claimed they were away on the night of the attack.
According to the charge sheet, De Jager was smothered and hit repeatedly with a blunt object likened to a hammer.
Shocking the packed court even further on Monday, Scholtz blurted out that he did not want legal representation and wanted to plead guilty.
But magistrate Vuyo Tshiki quickly interjected and indicated that even if he wanted to plead guilty, it was not the time to do so — and that he should rather first decide whether he wanted a private attorney, someone from state-funded Legal Aid SA, or if he would prefer to represent himself.
Both Scholtz and Cilliers then agreed to Legal Aid representation.
Le Grange is represented by well-known criminal defence attorney Alwyn Griebenow.
Griebenow told The Herald he could confirm his representation of Le Grange but said he had not yet consulted with her on the merits of the case.
Throughout proceedings, Scholtz and Cilliers held hands and comforted each other in the dock.
Cilliers kept her hand behind her back and Scholtz gripped it tightly.
He had earlier told the court: “I want to plead guilty on condition that”, but was unable to finish his sentence because the magistrate stopped him.
Tshiki then postponed the matter provisionally to November 6 for a formal bail application.
The state is opposed to bail.
When court adjourned, the couple hugged each other before a court orderly led Scholtz back to the holding cells.
Le Grange and Cilliers were asked to sit down next to the witness box while arrangements were made for their transportation back to custody.
The three face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
It is the state’s case that they “unlawfully and intentionally conspired with each other to commit an offence”.
The charge sheet states further that they unlawfully and intentionally killed De Jager by “suffocating him and hitting him with a hammer or a similar instrument”.
The state alleges that the accused acted in the furtherance of a common purpose.
It is further alleged, perhaps in an attempt to make it look like a house robbery gone wrong, that they stole De Jager’s bank cards, jewellery and R4,450 in cash.
De Jager’s vehicle, a Nissan Juke, was also stolen but later found abandoned in Westbourne Road, Central.
Members of De Jager’s family were at court on Monday but declined to comment.
His daughter, Chandre Cloete-Coetzee, said later that her father and Le Grange had been in an on-and-off relationship for about 10 years.
It is understood that prior to that, he was married for nearly 40 years.
He owned Siyalungisa Manufacturing in Sidwell, which specialises in custom-made air-conditioning and ventilation systems.
He also owned Siyalungisa Engineering and Construction.
A social media user, who said De Jager was his grandfather, described him as caring, loving and always willing to help people in need.
“He was always good to the people close to him,” he wrote.
De Jager’s death was initially described as a deadly home invasion.
Le Grange had told the police at the time that she was awoken shortly after 2am on Thursday by a noise in the house.
When she went to investigate, leaving De Jager to sleep, she said, she was confronted by four unknown men who gagged her, tied her wrists with cable ties and placed a pillowcase over her head.
After ransacking the house, the perpetrators fled and she managed to untie herself.
She said that was when she found De Jager to be unresponsive.
He was declared dead at the scene.
Police said at the time that it was not clear how the suspects had gained entry to the property.
According to sources, the tenants had direct access to the main house.
Le Grange had sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
According to their Facebook profiles, Le Grange and Scholtz both work as digital creators.
Le Grange made many public Facebook posts over the years in which she stated how much she loved De Jager.
One post read: “I love you Danie my baby.”
Another was a quote which stated: “If two hearts are meant to be together, no matter how long it takes, how far they go, how tough it seems, fate will bring them together to share their love forever.”
The post was accompanied by her own words stating how much she loved De Jager.
All three remain in custody.
The Herald
