Amy’Leigh’s grandfather hits out at ‘horrific’ kidnap allegations against his family

In an open letter published by his local community newspaper, the Sedibeng Ster, the grandfather of the little girl who was dramatically kidnapped and then returned to her family this week, Amy’Leigh de Jager, has cautioned against what he has described as “assumptions based on pure stupidity” around the case.

Christo de Jager has called for South Africa to “wait for the outcome” of the criminal investigation.

A 27-year-old teacher was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the kidnapping of the six-year-old at Laerskool Kollegepark in Vanderbijlpark, and it emerged she is a close friend of the child’s mother, Angeline de Jager.

The friends used the nickname “heksie” (little witch) with each other on Facebook.

The teacher can be named only after she appears in court, which is expected on Monday.

She was arrested on Wednesday with two other suspects, though it was reported that as many as four men snatched the child from her mother’s car at the school on Monday and sped off in a white Toyota Fortuner.

Angeline de Jager and daughter Amy’Leigh. Picture: Facebook /

South Africans have been speculating frenziedly ever since about the possible motives for the kidnapping. Some of it could come straight out of a plot for a Fargo movie or TV series. One source who spoke to News24 said that a WhatsApp voice note that has been attributed to the teacher’s stepfather claimed that she may have owed money to drug lords.

On Twitter, a further allegation has gone viral that the teacher may even have plotted with the child’s mother to allegedly orchestrate the kidnapping in order to extort R2 million in ransom money from the grandfather. That was the amount initially demanded by the kidnappers before the girl was returned to her family after a man and a woman took her to the Vanderbijlpark police station.

It is not known whether Christo de Jager was responding on Saturday directly to these new allegations, but he has written passionately about his unhappiness concerning “horrific and slanderous statements relating to the case”. He also wrote: “Do you really think that if any of my children were implicated they would be roaming free?”

He said such statements were “based on assumptions and pure stupidity” and added that they were “aimed at destroying families and the life of the very same child that they so intensely prayed for”.

He called them an indication of how “sick” some people could be.

In his full open letter, he wrote:

“Dear South Africa and the world. My name is Christo de Jager and I am the Oupa of Amy’Leigh who was kidnapped on Monday.

“I have had a life of highlights and lowlights. Eight years ago I lost my wife to cancer and five months later I lost my eldest son.

“Monday, exactly eight years after my wife’s passing, I temporarily lost my granddaughter to the devil himself.

“However, thanks to God Almighty and the prayers of South Africa, she was returned to us. At that moment I was so proud to be a son of God and a citizen of South Africa. I was so grateful to each and every South African, black, white, coloured, Indian and all others not mentioned.

“Today I am still grateful to God Almighty but I am, however, so disappointed in the same South Africa that so unconditionally supported us throughout this ordeal. Because, whilst we are are still celebrating the glory and miracle of God, some of the very same South African people are making the most horrific and slanderous statements relating to the case. Statements that are based on assumptions and pure stupidity. Statements aimed at destroying families and the life of the very same child that they so intensely prayed for.

“Dear South Africa, please wait for the outcome. Refrain from making uninformed statements and allegations. The SAPS did their investigation thoroughly. Do you really think that if any of my children were implicated they would be roaming free?

“Some of the voice notes we received are an indication of how sick some of the so-called caring South Africans are.”

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