No high court date yet for accused in Amy’Leigh de Jager kidnap case

09 January 2020 - 15:22
By Iavan Pijoos
Accused of kidnapping Amy'Leigh de Jager are, from left, Tharina Human, 27, Laetitia Nel, 40, Pieter van Zyl, 50, and Bafokeng Molemohi, 24.
Image: Iavan Pijoos Accused of kidnapping Amy'Leigh de Jager are, from left, Tharina Human, 27, Laetitia Nel, 40, Pieter van Zyl, 50, and Bafokeng Molemohi, 24.

No high court date has been received for the kidnapping case of Amy’Leigh de Jager, the Vanderbiljpark magistrate’s court heard on Thursday.

State prosecutor Luanda Ngcobo asked that the matter be postponed to February 25 to await a high court trial date.

The accused, Tharina Human, 27, Pieter van Zyl, 50, Laetitia Nel, 40, and Bafokeng Molemohi, 24, made a brief court appearance.

During a previous appearance in November 2019, it emerged that DNA results were still outstanding.

Previously, bail of R25,000 was granted to Nel, a mother of two.

Her bail conditions include reporting to the Vanderbijlpark police station every Wednesday. She is not allowed to contact state witnesses.

Human and Van Zyl were denied bail, while Molemohi abandoned his bail application. At a previous court appearance, the state said he was in the country illegally.

The suspects' alleged kidnap and ransom scheme was set in motion on September 2 last year when four men grabbed the grade R pupil from her mother, Angeline, outside the gates of Laerskool Kollegepark.

They allegedly bundled Amy’Leigh into a white Toyota Fortuner and sped off. She was dropped off in Vanderbijlpark in the early hours of September 3, and found by a couple heading home from a neighbourhood pub.

They escorted her to a nearby police station, where her parents were waiting, ending the kidnap drama.

Human is the prime suspect. She was employed by the school and taught Amy'Leigh's brother Jayden, 5, in Grade RR. She was also “best friends” with Amy'Leigh's mother.