22 January 1999
The investigations into the mysterious disappearance of these individuals since 1996, has not only been traumatic but has also caused a lot of grief to their families.
The families of the missing persons had reported their disappearance to the South African Police Service and thus had prompted Supt Hanning Brand, Commander of the Firearms Unit of the Serious and Violent Crime Component of Detective Service to appoint Inspector Bertus Kruger to investigate this iatter.
After years of extensive and arduous investigations and enquiries into this issue by investigators attached to Interpol of the South African Police Service and detectives of the Firearms Unit the following facts were ascertained.
It is alleged that on 1996-02-15 MR STEPHANUS PELSER age 35 and MR ANDREW DAVID SWEETNAM age 31 both South African citizens were lured and coerceby another South African citizen MR SCHALK WILLEM KRUGEL age 34 into Namibia and Angola with a promise of being able to organise diamonds which to be obtained from Unita Army Generals in the south of Angola at a very lucrative price.
According to our investigations they apparently went into Angola with MR KRUGEL with the sum of R360 000-00 cash in their possession and mysteriously disappeared never to be seen again to date.
It is further alleged that on 1996-03-28 MR JAN GYSBERT MALAN age 39 a Namibian citizen and an advocate by profession was allegedly lured and coerced under similar circumstances again by SCHALK WILLEM KRUGEL into Angola and had also disappeared without a trace. He allegedly had an amount of R250 000-00 in his possession which was never recovered. However, MR MALAN was accompanied by three other persons as far as Namibia and then allegedly left for Angola in tHe company of MR KRUGER. According to information received MR MALAN disappeared mysteriously without any trace to date.
On 1999-01-20 the office of the Direcpor of Public Prosecutions in Pretoria authorised a warrant for the arrest of MR SCHALK WILLEM KRUGEL on the charges of 3 counts of conspiracy to murder and 2 counts of theft of cash.
Inspector Bertus Kruger with the assistance of detectives from the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit and members of the Task Force managed to trace, locate and arrest MR SCHALK WILLEM KRUGERL in Barkley West, Kimberley.
The South African Police Service sympathise with the families of the missing per˙sons and give their assurances and commitment that they are doing and will do everything possible to locate the missing persons.
Any person with any additional information with regards to this investigation are urged to please contact INSPECTOR BERTUS KRUGER or SUPT HENNING BRAND of the Component Serious and Violent Crimes Unit at tel no (012) 320 0601 or CRIME STOP at 0800 11 12 13.
Statement issued by Snr Supt Faizel Abdul-Kader, Communication Service, Detective Service. He can be contacted at tel no (012) 339 1894/5 or cellphone 082 8086438.