DNA results still outstanding in Amy’Leigh de Jager kidnapping case

13 November 2019 - 11:02 By Iavan Pijoos
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The four people accused of kidnapping Amy'Leigh de Jager. From left are Tharina Human, 27, Laetitia Nel, 40, Pieter van Zyl, 50, and Bafokeng Molemohi, 24.
The four people accused of kidnapping Amy'Leigh de Jager. From left are Tharina Human, 27, Laetitia Nel, 40, Pieter van Zyl, 50, and Bafokeng Molemohi, 24.
Image: Iavan Pijoos

DNA results are still outstanding in the kidnapping case of six-year-old Amy’Leigh de Jager, the Vanderbiljpark magistrate’s court heard on Wednesday.

State prosecutor Luanda Ngcobo asked for a postponement to January 9 2020 to obtain a date for the case to be heard in the high court in Johannesburg.

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

At their last appearance, bail of R25,000 was granted for 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, when four men grabbed the grade R pupil from her mother, Angeline, outside the gates of Laerskool Kollegepark.

They allegedly bundled her into a white Toyota Fortuner and sped off. She was dropped off on a Vanderbijlpark street in the early hours of September 3, and found by a couple on their way home from a neighbourhood pub.

They escorted her to a nearby police station, where her parents were waiting, bringing the hostage drama to an end.

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


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