The day beloved Krugersdorp veterinarian was killed – Cops on killer’s track

The nation and community were shocked to hear that beloved veterinarian and community member Corli van der Walt was gunned down in June while on her way to work. Three months later, her fiancé Ferdi Kruger speaks about that tragic day.

The 43-year-old Corli left her home at about 08:00 on Saturday, June 12 not knowing that someone was waiting for her. A short distance from her home, Corli pulled to the side of the road and a white Isuzu bakkie pulled up next to her. Within just more than 20 seconds Corli had been shot several times and killed.

Ferdi described it as a typical Saturday morning. Corli was not supposed to work that day and the family had plans to celebrate her daughters’ birthday later that day. She had asked Ferdi to take her girls to have their hair and nails done for the celebrations.

“I never even noticed the Isuzu bakkie that was parked 100m from our house, although it had been standing there for two hours as the driver waited for her to leave,” he said, and added the driver of the vehicle was believed to have driven all the way from Rayton/ Cullinan earlier that morning.

Twenty minutes later when Ferdi checked his phone he noticed that he had at least 10 missed calls from different numbers.

“When I phoned the last number it was my previous neighbour. He sounded very upset and said I should contact the Community Policing Forum immediately. The next call was to a woman who just said ‘you need to get to Bell Street, it is regarding Corli’.”

Also read: Woman murdered identified as caring veterinarian

About 500m from their house, Ferdi saw the scene that had already been cordoned off. He jumped out of his vehicle and ran to her car.

“The brake lights were still on, which meant Corli’s foot was still on the brake,” he said.

Someone stopped him, told him not to look, and wait in his car.

“When the woman told me Corli was dead everything inside me broke. My heart broke and the tears came flooding like someone had opened a tap. How could this be? Was it a heart attack, a stroke?”

Later he heard someone on scene say that she had been shot, and thought it could be a hijacking. A policeman came to the car and asked if Corli had enemies because she had been murdered.

“It wasn’t a hijacking? Who would hate such an amazing person?” he asked before indicating that he has his suspicions. “And then I knew. There was one person,” Ferdi said. He did not confirm the identity of the person he believes is behind the murder.

Corli’s mother and brother also arrived on the scene and the three of them later returned home. He remembered thinking how he was going to tell the children. They were already waiting outside the house and wanted to know what happened.

“Just tell us what is happening,” he remembered the eldest daughter saying, and then … he had to tell them their mother had died.

He explained that the children were devastated.

The weeks following Corli’s death were difficult for everyone, and Ferdi said everything was just a blur to him.

“My tear ducts were cramping and I wondered if one could become dehydrated from crying too much. If the person who killed Corli wanted to hurt us, he succeeded. But at what cost? If you are the one behind something like this, can your life ever be the same again? I am told that psychopaths and narcissists will never regret doing something like that, even when they are sentenced. Does this mean the responsible person’s life will just go on as if nothing happened?”

The investigation has presented many leads but Ferdi explained that the police wanted to ensure a watertight case before making an arrest, as investigators believe that at least five people may have been involved in the murder. For Ferdi this process is taking agonisingly long.

Also read: Woman killed in Rangeview: Bakkie possibly linked to the murder

“The worst thing is that their involvement is clear but the words out of their mouths are all lies,” Ferdi alleges with reference to the person or persons he deems responsible.

“What types of people lie like this? Do they lie to their loved ones as well? Some of them even sympathised but had spoken hateful words about Corli when she was alive.”

Ferdi appealed to anyone who might know anything about the senseless murder to please come forward and assist them.

“Maybe someone saw something or knows something, and that could just be the last link in the chain that we need.”

The police released an image of the vehicle believed to have been used by the killer, and also urged anyone with information to come forward.

If you have any information that could assist the police and family you can contact the investigating officer, Sergeant Masongane on 081 253 1071, or Warrant Officer Drotsky who is assisting with the case on 081 476 9484, or contact Krugersdorp News.