“If I lived in Steiltes, I would sleep with one eye open. There are violent criminals roaming the streets who are cold-blooded killers.”

These were the words of Jaco Craucamp, the estranged husband of the deceased Ilonka Craucamp, who was shot and killed alongside her partner, Shawn Pretorius, in Steiltes, a sleepy suburb in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, on Christmas Day.

It is exactly one month since the horrific discovery of Ilonka and Shawn’s bodies in Laser Street. The couple were in the process of divorcing their spouses.

When neither Ilonka nor Shawn’s children had heard from them on Christmas Day, and when their WhatsApp messages went unread and their calls unanswered, their respective families grew worried.

Hi-Tech Security Nelspruit was twice asked to drive to the scene, once during the day when it was noted that an occupant’s vehicle was in the driveway, and again at 21:00 when the bodies were seen on the floor during an inspection of the premises.

The couple’s deaths were confirmed shortly afterwards. Shawn was shot multiple times and Ilonka once.

Jaco told Lowvelder on January 23 that he was disappointed at the slow pace of the police investigation. The assistance of Bossies Justice and AG Solutions was acquired shortly after the murders, and Albert Gryvenstein, the COO, confirmed that several leads were being followed.

“There are limitations to what Albert and his team can do. The speedy reaction to the information given through, as well as certain administrative processes, are in the hands of the police,” said Jaco. “For the past month, I have been repeatedly told that they were busy, but that no arrests have been made. All we need now is for the police to kick-start the acquired steps to access information and follow up on the leads provided to them.

“My hands are tied, but we want answers and the case needs attention. It is only a matter of time before it is going to happen again. These violent criminals are roaming the streets of Nelspruit and specifically Steiltes, and have been for a while. If they are not caught and removed from society, someone else will be killed.”

He was especially concerned that the perpetrators might have fled the country, and said the assistance of neighbouring countries’ authorities would then be needed to trace them.

Jaco said it has been a difficult time, especially for his children: “I have a daughter in Grade Eight and one in Grade 12 who have lost their mother. It is a period of their lives when they need to have a mother, and her death has created a void I can’t fill.”

Gryvenstein told Lowvelder on January 24 that Bossies’ investigation was completed, and confirmed that the next phase was now in the police’s hands. “We have done what we can, and only once the follow-up process from the police is done, we can rejoin and assist with the investigation.”

The information is sensitive; he did not want to elaborate on the details of the investigation.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli commented: “No arrests have yet been made.”