Werner de Jager’s bail hearing was postponed to tomorrow a short while ago after a day filled with heated exchanges in the Amanzimtoti Magistrates court. It is not the end of his woes however, as two more murder charges against him are imminent.
The two additional murder charges follows a fatal motor vehicle accident caused by De Jager outside Koppies in the Free State in April last year which claimed the lives of 54-year old Linda Eales and 84-year-old Berniece Eales. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the prosecutor and the investigating team will meet later this week after which the DPP will decide if the Eales case can be moved and merged with the Liezel de Jager case.
“We welcome every step taken to bring De Jager to justice. He must be removed from society. He has left a devastating trail of death and despair. Enough is enough,” said Ian Cameron, Director of Community Safety at Action Society.
Werner de Jager was met with a large group of the Amanzimtoti community who joined Action Society outside the Amanzimtoti Magistrates court this morning, calling for a “no bail” verdict in his ongoing bail application. After being met with “Rot in jail! Rot in jail!” De Jager was visibly shaking in the dock.
The original Schedule 5 murder charge against De Jager was escalated to a Schedule 6 murder charge on 24 January 2024 as new evidence now suggests the murder was premeditated. In addition, De Jager faces fraud charges for trying to claim the life insurance policies against Liezel’s name, even after the investigation officer told him he was not allowed to do so. Other evidence suggests that De Jager lied about his activities at the time of Liezel’s murder.
UPDATE: Bail judgement was postponed to 22 February 2024.