Myrtle Louisa de Jager

Myrtle Louisa de Jager (1917 - 1985)

Brief overview:

Myrtle (65), and her husband Carel Willem de Jager (72), were murdered on their farm in Addo, on 17th June 1985. Myrtle died from multiple stab wounds. Koos was bludgeoned to death with an axe.

Reports state that between eight and twelve perpetrators were involved in their murder.

Buyile Ronnie Blani (41), who was part of a group of eight members of the then-banned ANC Youth League driven by the slogan "Kill the farmer, kill the boer", fled to Angola soon after the killings and returned to South Africa only in 1992. He did not apply for amnesty, and faced two counts of murder. On June 25th and 28th 2004, the case was postponed without charges. Blani said that he had not approached the TRC for amnesty because he thought he had returned home under a "blanket amnesty" for all exiles. In May 2005, Blani was jailed for a year in terms of a plea bargain agreement in the Grahamstown High Court.

Ndumiso Siphenuka (25) and Makwezana Menze (42), were found guilty and were hanged in 1989.

Similo Wonci and Mziwoxolo Makeleni, had their death sentences commuted at the last minute to life in jail and were later pardoned by President Thabo Mbeki and freed with three other members serving long jail terms.

Khanyiso Malgas, was integrated into the South African National Defence Force and applied for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the killings.

In February 2004, apartheid security police officer Gideon Niewoudt was arrested for the murder of Sipho Hashe, Qaquwili Godolozi and Champion Galela, known as the Pebco Three, leaders of the ANC-inspired uprising in the Eastern Cape. Niewoudt applied for amnesty to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission but it was denied in June 1999 because he had failed to make a full disclosure of his crimes.

Extract from the Politics Web Report on the De Jager couple murder - The origins of South Africa's farm murder epidemic.

"On the night of the 17th of June 1985 an elderly farming couple - Koos de Jager, 72, and his wife, Myrtle, 68 - were brutally murdered. They were found “in their blood spattered homestead on their farm near Addo. Mr De Jager fought desperately against the killers before he was overpowered and bludgeoned to death with an axe. His wife died of stab wounds.” The killers took various minor items, including a .22 rifle and a pellet gun, and had driven away in the couple’s Datsun bakkie, which was later found burnt out in Motherwell Township, Port Elizabeth.

The twelve youths who carried out the attack were all members of the Addo Youth Congress, an affiliate of the UDF. Eight members of the group were arrested and charged and convicted for the murders, four were sentenced to death, with two eventually being hanged in April 1989. They would be reburied by the ANC government as heroes in 2017. Some of the group however escaped over the border and joined MK. On his return from exile one of them, Khanyiso Malgas, was integrated into the South African National Defence Force and applied for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the killings. He told his hearing in 1999 that the League had held a meeting where the decision was taken “that farmers should be killed.

After that meeting Chairperson, an action was taken. We went from Addo. We went to kill the farmers and then this first farmer was killed.” Asked why the De Jagers were targeted in particular, he expounded: “We did not target a specific farm, the farmers were killed and if our plans did not fail, I think that a lot of farmers would have been killed, more than one, but what happened is that our plan failed, so it was difficult for us to continue killing the farmers. So we did not target a specific farmer, we were killing farmers.”

Extract from the Politics Web Report on the De Jager couple murder - The origins of South Africa's farm murder epidemic.

"On the night of the 17th of June 1985 an elderly farming couple - Koos de Jager, 72, and his wife, Myrtle, 68 - were brutally murdered. They were found “in their blood spattered homestead on their farm near Addo. Mr De Jager fought desperately against the killers before he was overpowered and bludgeoned to death with an axe. His wife died of stab wounds.” The killers took various minor items, including a .22 rifle and a pellet gun, and had driven away in the couple’s Datsun bakkie, which was later found burnt out in Motherwell Township, Port Elizabeth.

The twelve youths who carried out the attack were all members of the Addo Youth Congress, an affiliate of the UDF. Eight members of the group were arrested and charged and convicted for the murders, four were sentenced to death, with two eventually being hanged in April 1989. They would be reburied by the ANC government as heroes in 2017. Some of the group however escaped over the border and joined MK. On his return from exile one of them, Khanyiso Malgas, was integrated into the South African National Defence Force and applied for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the killings. He told his hearing in 1999 that the League had held a meeting where the decision was taken “that farmers should be killed.

After that meeting Chairperson, an action was taken. We went from Addo. We went to kill the farmers and then this first farmer was killed.” Asked why the De Jagers were targeted in particular, he expounded: “We did not target a specific farm, the farmers were killed and if our plans did not fail, I think that a lot of farmers would have been killed, more than one, but what happened is that our plan failed, so it was difficult for us to continue killing the farmers. So we did not target a specific farmer, we were killing farmers.”

Extract from the TRC amnesty committee application AC/99/0264

"The applicant is KHANYISO ARTHUR MALGAS. He applies for amnesty in terms of Section 18 of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act, No 34 of 1995 ("the Act) in respect of the following offences : 1. The murder of Koos de Jager;

2. The murder of Marike Louisa De Jager;

3. Housebreaking with intent to rob the De Jagers.

4. Robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft of an assortment of household items, namely :

(a) One .22 rifle; (b) One pellet gun; (c) One long knife; (d) One bayonet; (e) A sum of R180-00 in cash; (f) One portable radio; (g) Two torches; (h) One thermos flask; (i) Assorted linen and foodstuffs; (j) One 1976 Datsun Bakkie bearing registration letters and numbers CB8978.

5. Malicious Damage to Property by setting on fire a Datsun Bakkie bearing registration letters and numbers CB8978, the property of the De Jagers.

At the time of the commission of these offences in 1985 the Applicant, who is now a Lieutenant in the South African National Defence force, was a member of the Addo Youth Congress ("AYC"). That organisation was an affiliate of the United Democratic Front ("UDF") aligned to the African National congress ("ANC"). The deceased were an elderly couple residing on the Farm Enhoek at Addo, Kirkwood district.

The evidence of the Applicant can be summarised as follows. In the evening of 17 June 1985 a group of about 12 AYC members, of which Applicant was one, held a meeting where it was decided that members of the white local farming community should be raided and killed, to put pressure on the previous government to concede to the demand of the black majority for democracy in the country. It was believed by the AYC members that if they killed farmers in the area, and ransack their houses and take whatever valuable items they found there, the government would positively react and start a dialogue with the leaders of the nationalist liberation movement, with the view to making a political settlement.

It was part of the plan that any firearms found there would;d be taken for use by comrades. At that stage there was already a number of Umkhonto weSizwe ("MK"), the military wing of the ANC, infiltrated into the area. the MK members trained the Applicant and some of the AYC members. On the day of the attack one of them, Mzukisi Alwan, had a firearm which had been supplied by the MK members.

The group that was inside reported that there was also a baby there and wanted to know what to do with her. The group deliberated and decided that the baby should not be killed. the Applicant was one of those who suggested that it should be left alone. They all left in the Bakkie and the items were given to an MK cadre who had infiltrated the area and generally had a close association with the AYC members. Jackie was driving the vehicles and on the way they had an accident. Many were injured. After the incident the AYC members were arrested and charged. Some were convicted and sentenced to death and Sokhiya who had been sentenced to a long term of imprisonment was released on parole in 12991. Two of them were sentenced to death and executed. The applicant fled the country with the help of MK members to join the ANC in exile. He received extensive military training there. He never stood trial for the offences. Applicant returned in 1994 and was integrated into the SANDF where he is now serving."

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction

Additional Biographical Information:

• Identity Number : 2005190068087
• Official cause of death : stab wounds

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.is/b3b8y
• https://archive.is/9ury0
• http://archive.is/T0fKp
• http://archive.is/82IL6
• https://archive.is/KaTTx
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 22 2022, 15:10:53 UTC
• https://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=2444428
• https://www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_itemId=2444425