Action Society will take steps against the police for neglecting their duty in investigating Pastor Liezel de Jager’s death.
“The complete lack of investigative know-how of local police forces has led to yet another unsolved case, one year after the murder,” said Kaylynn Palm, Action Centre coordinator at Action Society. “The government and the Department of Police do not realise what consequences the lack of skills and leadership in the SAPS has on victims of crime and their loved ones.”
Pastor Liezel from Amanzimtoti, KZN, was strangled to death on 13 October 2021, but since then, there have been no arrests. In fact, it seems the case has ground to a halt with no feedback to the family. Pastor Liezel was murdered outside her house in the early morning after returning from a morning run. There has been much speculation about what happened to her, with many community members seeing it as a seemingly straightforward murder case.
Action Society received a mandate from the family to investigate the case but has been hampered by the investigative process on the police’s side.
“The problem with cases that linger on and on is that either it gets buried under a heap of newer cases or gets struck from the court roll if it progressed that far,” said Palm. “The immense DNA backlog plays a further role in cases not moving forward.”
Action Society will continue to push for justice in Pastor Liezel’s case and will consider further steps against the police.
