Three individuals have been sentenced to effective prison terms following the murder of 65-year-old businessman Daniel de Jager, whose death was initially staged to resemble a house robbery.
On 30 October 2025, SAPS Mount Road detectives responded to a residence in Mangold Street, Newton Park, where De Jager was found dead. Preliminary investigations determined he had been fatally assaulted with a hammer. His vehicle, bank cards, laptop, and jewellery were stolen, and funds were subsequently withdrawn from his bank accounts.
Detectives identified inconsistencies in the information provided by the victim’s 57-year-old life partner, Estelle le Grange. Further investigation revealed that the murder was premeditated and that the accused had cleaned the crime scene and attempted to mislead investigators to simulate a robbery.
Within 24 hours of the incident being reported, police arrested le Grange alongside 36-year-old Leeroy Scholtz and 36-year-old Anke-Mari Cilliers.
The accused entered into a Section 105A plea and sentence agreement with the State. They were convicted on charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating the ends of justice, and contravention of the Older Persons Act. Sentencing was carried out over three days in June 2026:
Leeroy Scholtz was sentenced on 01 June 2026 to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment.
Anke-Mari Cilliers received an effective 20 years’ imprisonment on 02 June 2026.
Estelle le Grange was sentenced to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment on 10 June 2026.
