On Tuesday morning (9 November 2021) there was a police presence at the consulting room of Dr. Freek van der Walt, a dermatologist from Three Rivers, in Orwell Street.
It is alleged that he took his own life.
Vaalweekblad went to investigate at the scene where we found police members and a vehicle of the police’s forensic pathology unit.
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The police requested Vaalweekblad’s reporter to leave the sidewalk in front of the premises and threatened that bad things would happen if photos were taken or a police member appeared in a photo.
Dr. Jeanne-Marie Rabie, a colleague of Van der Walt, was also on the scene but did not want to tell Vaalweekblad what happened.
“For the sake of the health of the family, I now request you to leave the premises,” she said.
According to Capt. Fikile Funda, spokesperson for the police in Vereeniging, the police are conducting a forensic autopsy after they found the 63-year-old doctor dead on the floor of his consulting room on Tuesday morning.
“He was found on the floor with a bullet wound to his head and a pistol next to his body.”
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently part of the investigation.”
“The body was taken to a state morgue for a post-mortem examination and the firearm was booked in,” said Funda.
Mignon van der Walt, the deceased’s daughter, asked Vaalweekblad to give the family space in a time of mourning and grief.
