MASTERMIND OF ELDERLY LOVER'S MURDER JOINS ACCOMPLICES IN 25-YEAR JAIL TERMS

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence imposed by the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, sitting in Gqeberha, against Estelle Le Grange (57), following her conviction on charges arising from the murder and robbery of her partner, 65-year-old Daniel de Jager. Her sentence follows the earlier convictions and sentencing of her co-accused, Anke-Mari Cilliers (39) and Lee-Roy Scholtz (38), who were sentenced after entering into plea and sentence agreements in terms of section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977.

The convictions arise from a carefully planned conspiracy that culminated in the murder of De Jager at his home in Newton Park, Gqeberha, on the night of 29 October 2025. In the trio’s plea explanations, they all admitted that Le Grange repeatedly approached Cilliers and Scholtz, who were in a romantic relationship and rented a flatlet on the deceased's property, to assist her in killing De Jager.

On the evening of the murder, the three met and finalised plans to kill the deceased and disguise the crime as a robbery. Le Grange provided instructions on how the murder should be carried out and ensured that the perpetrators would have access to the property. Shortly before midnight, after confirming that De Jager was asleep, Scholtz and Cilliers entered the main house. Tshey proceeded to the victim's bedroom, where Le Grange pointed out a hammer and instructed Scholtz to assault him.

Scholtz repeatedly struck De Jager on the head while Le Grange encouraged him to continue until the victim was dead. Thereafter, the perpetrators staged the crime scene to create the impression that a housebreaking and robbery had occurred. The trio stole the deceased's motor vehicle, jewellery, wallet, bank cards and laptop. In the early hours of the following morning, Scholtz and Cilliers used the deceased's bank cards to withdraw R4 500 from his accounts. The stolen vehicle was later abandoned and subsequently recovered by police.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that De Jager died because of severe head trauma and a sharp-force injury to the neck. Evidence presented before the court further revealed extensive communication between the accused before, during and after the murder, corroborating the existence of a conspiracy to kill and rob the deceased.

The accused faced charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating or obstructing the administration of justice, and contravention of section 30 of the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006.

The court sentenced Le Grange to 25 years' direct imprisonment for murder, 15 years' imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, five years' imprisonment for defeating or obstructing the administration of justice, and five years' imprisonment for contravening the Older Persons Act. The court ordered that the sentences on counts two to four run concurrently with the sentence for murder, resulting in an effective sentence of 25 years' direct imprisonment.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Samkelo Mtwana, welcomed the outcome and commended Adv Liezel Landman and the investigating team for securing justice. He said the convictions and sentences underscore the effectiveness of a coordinated criminal justice system and reaffirm the NPA's commitment to protecting vulnerable victims and holding offenders accountable.

Issued by:

Luxolo Tyali

NPA Regional Spokesperson – Eastern Cape Division