Werner de Jager has been officially charged for the murder of his wife, Reverend Liezel de Jager. He was arrested in Bloemfontein at the weekend.

De Jager made his first appearance in the Amanzimtoti Magistrate's Court on Monday and was remanded until his next appearance on December 7.

According to police, the matter was handed over to specialist in cracking cold cases, South African Police Service (SAPS) Cold Case Unit’s Brigadier Bafana Gininda, and within two weeks, an arrest was effected.

Liezel’s body was found on her Amanzimtoti property on October 13, 2021, after the beloved NG Kerk Suidkhus Reverend had just returned home from her morning jog.

Days after Liezel’s death, De Jager was reported missing. He was later found on a sugar plantation near Illovo on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. His vehicle was discovered by a farmer. At the time, a private ambulance group, Emer-G-Med, reported that de Jager was found seated in his vehicle.

“He was stabilised before he was airlifted with the assistance of the Netcare911 aeromedical helicopter to a nearby specialist facility,” Emer-G-Med’s Kyle van Reenen said.

Meanwhile, Action Society’s Ian Cameron has welcomed De Jager’s arrest.

“It took 775 days to see Werner de Jager in handcuffs. We hope that today will be the only delay in the court process and that justice will be swift. It was both a relief and a bitter day,” he said.

Cameron added that Liezel’s family is relieved that her case is finally moving forward and very thankful for the team from the National Cold Case Investigation Unit, who took over the case.

“They did in two weeks what the previous teams couldn’t in two years. The process of justice and closure can finally start now. We expect more details to be exposed in the weeks to come. We will continue to oversee her case. No more delays will be tolerated,” Cameron said.

IOL