The alleged killer of Pastor Liezel de Jager has been arrested – after an epic two-year battle by Action Society. In this interview with BizNews, Ian Cameron of Action Society says he had “never, ever, ever struggled so much to get an arrest for something like this”. That battle involved 200 inquiries or communiques to the SAPS, as well as a court application to force the police to appoint a competent investigation team. Cameron has high praise for the Cold Case Squad that took over the investigation. “…I must say, they did more work in less than two weeks…than the original investigator did in two years. And I must really commend them. It really makes me proud to still see that we’ve got South African Police Service members of this calibre.” The suspect was taken into custody in Bloemfontein on Thursday morning last week and questioned. On Saturday the SAPS officially confirmed to Action Society that he had been charged with murder and that he will be appearing in court in KZN tomorrow (Monday). – Chris Steyn
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Relevant timestamps from the interview
- 00:08 – Introductions
- 00:24 – Ian Cameron on the news surrounding the murder of Liezel de Jager
- 01:37 – Forcing an investigation in the case
- 04:36 – The DNA situation
- 06:28 – The reaction of her father Henk van Zyl after the new development
- 09:29 – How is everyone at Action Society coping
- 11:27 – Conclusion
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Highlights from the interview
The alleged killer of Pastor Liezel de Jager has been arrested – after an epic two-year battle by Action Society.
In this interview with BizNews, Ian Cameron of Action Society says he had “never, ever, ever struggled so much to get an arrest for something like this”.
The suspect was taken into custody in Bloemfontein on Thursday morning last week and questioned. On Saturday the SAPS officially confirmed to Action Society that he had been charged with murder and that he will be appearing in court in KZN tomorrow (Monday).
Describing the “incredible struggle”, Cameron says: “I think by the end of last week, our team along with Liezel de Jager’s father had launched very close, if not more than 200 inquiries or communiques to the South African Police Service, whether it was to the original detective, the Detective Branch Commander, the Provincial Office of the South African Police Service.
Read more: I seek justice for my daughter – A father’s plea from Henk van Zyl
“Obviously, before the province, we spoke to the district. And then we also went to the national level. We reached out to the National Inspectorate in May already, with no real action from them. And it actually led to us having to exhaust all of our remedies. So just a few weeks ago, we launched a court application to actually force the police to appoint a competent investigation team on this specific matter.”
Cameron has high praise for the Cold Case Squad that took over the investigation.
“About just over two weeks ago, we were contacted by the Cold Case Unit from the South African Police Service, the National Office. And they shared with us that they have taken over the docket and whether we are willing to also share what we have and know with them, which we obviously did.
“And I must say, they did more work in less than two weeks, even maybe less than two weeks than the original investigator did in two years. And I must really commend them. It really makes me proud to still see that we’ve got South African Police Service members of this calibre.”
Cameron reveals that some of the evidence “was literally sealed” for more than two years. “It was never even touched by the South African Police Service. They took it in as evidence and up until this new unit came in and took over no one ever processed or analysed any of the physical evidence from that incident.”
Read more: Ian Cameron: No justice without political connections
Fighting alongside Cameron was Liezel’s father, Henk. “He was an extremely experienced police officer and I think he’s been in police officer mode for his family up until now and I think the fact that an arrest has been made and that a charge is actually happening and that someone is going to appear in court, I think it’s a very big relief. He says from all the mixture of emotions that he was feeling, he says the most important one is likely the feeling of relief and he says he suddenly slept well the other night for the first time in over two years.”
Meanwhile, Action Society has got between 100 and 120 other investigations ongoing at the moment, most of them murder cases, with many being child murders. “Every single member of this team takes it personally and rightly or wrongly so, can’t help it. That’s why we do what we do.”
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