The death of Jurgens Nel, who was found murdered in his room on the farm Lowhills, and a voicenote he had sent a week before his death, have left more questions than answers.

The Onderberg, Mpumalanga, community has been in shock since Nel’s body was discovered on February 3, and Sonell Joubert, owner of the famous elephant Tswale, was arrested for his death. She appeared in court on Monday, February 10, on a charge of premeditated murder, and for a bail hearing.

An article published by Lowvelder states that in a voicenote Nel sent George Sithole, the owner of Mohamdule’s Security, the company appointed by Shofeeds to guard the main gate to the farm, he states that things on the farm were getting ‘hectic’. He said: “Johann and Sonell is like, sjoh, I didn’t know people can play that dirty. It’s really, really insane.”

Nel asked Sithole to help him, and claimed Joubert and her life partner, Johann Möller, had requested him to leave the farm, but according to him, they had no legal right to do so. “These guys are playing dirty, and you don’t know what they are going to do. I’m just trying to play it safe and stay on the farm,” the voicenote says.

Nel said he didn’t have transport and that some food he had ordered from SPAR couldn’t be delivered, as Möller had instructed his friends and colleagues not to bring him any packages. He asked Sithole if he would go to pick up the food for him and bring it to him.

Listen to the voicenote:

Sithole confirmed the authenticity of the voicenote and his conversations with Nel. He said Nel had had concerns about Tswale the elephant, as well. The voicenote was sent to Möller for comment, and even though he received and opened it, he did not respond.

Bail hearing

During the bail hearing on Monday, Sergeant Bonginkosi Given Nguyuza testified that Nel’s body had been discovered on February 3 and that it had six stab wounds. Nguyuza said the house was padlocked and that Möller had given them the key to gain access.

The police searched for a possible murder weapon, without any success.

During preliminary investigations and from information Joubert’s questioning had produced, it transpired that Nel had probably been stabbed two days before the police found him. Nguyuza said on the morning of February 3, he was informed by his colleagues that there was an ‘aggressive guy’ on Lowhills Farm that had to be arrested. He was told that Joubert had previously obtained a protection order against Nel she claimed was violated on February 1.

The court heard that the police had first attended to the scene that Saturday evening, where they were told that Nel had locked himself in his room, and that he was aggressive and in possession of dangerous weapons. The officers left the farm, and on Monday, Nguyuza and seven back-up police members went to look for the ‘aggressive’ Nel. Nguyuza said he called Joubert for directions, and that she and Möller showed them the way.

Möller gave them the keys to the house, and instead of the aggressive Nel, they discovered his body.

It was then that Joubert told them she and Nel had had a fight, and that she stabbed him in self-defence with a knife that was in the house.

Nguyuza testified that Joubert didn’t have a fixed address, and that he was opposing her bail. He cited their Mpumalanga High Court battle with Shofeeds and claimed that “they have been dodging the police and sheriff for a long time, so what will stop them from dodging the court this time?”

Joubert’s attorney, Jaice Terblanche, asked Magistrate Ningi Neko for R5 000 bail, citing that Joubert owned an elephant valued at more than R1m, and would therefore not skip bail.

She was remanded in custody until judgment is delivered on February 18.

During the bail application, more drama unfolded when the police arrested Möller on a warrant of arrest for contempt of court.

Arrest of Joubert’s life partner, Möller

During Monday’s court proceedings, the Sherrif of the Court and the police called Möller aside and arrested him on a contempt of court charge. The arrest was related to the ongoing high court proceedings between him and Shofeeds, which had bought Lowhills on a liquidation auction.

Joubert, also cited as a respondent on the warrant of arrest, was technically also arrested, but due to the postponement of the bail application judgment, remained behind bars.

A Shofeeds spokesperson, who asked not to be named, told Lowvelder on Tuesday that they had obtained various orders that prohibited Möller and Joubert from excavating gravel, cutting wood and keeping the elephant Tswale on the farm. The couple had previously refused to adhere to these requests, and Shofeeds eventually applied for an interdict to enforce all its demands. The interdict was granted.

Despite this, Joubert and Möller still refused to relocate Tswale.

On Wednesday, Shofeeds was back in the high court against Möller and Joubert.

Möller was released after paying the R80 000 fine cited in the contempt of court case.

What will the MTPA do now?

The spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, Simphiwe Shungube, said Tswale had not yet been removed due to the following factors, among others: “The delays are due to the appeals lodged against the order and the heatwave in December 2024. However, it must be clearly stated that the high court’s decision still stands, so it will be implemented as soon as possible.”

Timeline: 12 months of key events on Lowhills Farm leading up to Jurgens Nel’s death

Below is a comprehensive timeline of what had transpired on Lowhills this last year:

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