Liezel de Jager murder: Husband to apply for bail
The NG Kerk-Suidkus pastor was strangled to death at her home in October 2021. Her husband was arrested recently – two years after the murder.
Werner de Jager is expected to make his second appearance in the Amanzimtoti Magistrate’s Court today to make a formal bail application after he was arrested and charged with his wife’s murder.
De Jager was arrested in Bloemfontein on November 24, for the October 2021 murder of NG Kerk-Suidkus pastor Liezel, who was strangled to death at her home. The arrest came after the case stalled for more than two years with no updates from the investigating unit, as alleged by Liezel’s father, Henk van Zyl.
Werner’s arrest only came after Action Society, a civil rights organisation, filed papers at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria against the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, seeking an interdict to compel SAPS to, within 30 days, take all necessary steps to ensure a thorough, unbiased and expeditious investigation into Liezel’s murder.
It was only then that the case was moved to the National Cold Case Investigation Unit, and Werner was arrested two weeks later. After his first court appearance on November 27, he was remanded in custody.
Action Society’s Ian Cameron applauded the developments in the case.
“We are very grateful to the team of officers who took over the investigation and did what should have been done two years ago in two weeks. We honour members of the police who still take pride in their work,” said Cameron.
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