Last pieces in Freitag murder puzzle? Prime suspects now back in Pretoria

After a short but intense manhunt that resulted in the arrests of Rudolph “Rudie” Lubbe and Shantellè Oosthuizen, the couple have now been returned to Pretoria where they are expected to appear in court in connection with the murder of Jacques Freitag.

The 42-year-old Freitag’s decomposing body was found on 1 July with three gunshot wounds, multiple stab wounds and a broken arm in a field near the Zandfontein Cemetery, Pretoria West.

Jacques Freitag murder: Runaway couple arrested at guest house

This morning, Lubbe’s lawyer, Steve Hefferman from Hefferman (SDH) Attorneys, confirmed to The Citizen that they have arrived in Pretoria where they are in police custody and in an “okay condition”.

According to Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili, the disgraced former lawyer and his long-time lover were arrested at “their hideout in a guest house” between Mbombela and Sabie at 10am on Tuesday, 16 July.

When will Lubbe and Oosthuizen appear in court?

Despite earlier expectation that the couple was going to appear in court on Wednesday morning, Hefferman said this morning that they have not yet been formally charged at the Hercules Police Station.

“I’m expecting that they might appear at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court as soon as tomorrow morning. We intend to apply for bail, but because they absconded, we are expecting the State to oppose the bid.”

The lawyer could not provide any details regarding the circumstances in which they have been found.

Oosthuizen and Lubbe vanished after they were questioned in connection with the grim murder of Freitag.

Last Wednesday, Hercules police obtained warrants of arrest for the couple on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

‘They look okay’

Hefferman said that he paid a brief visit to Lubbe and Oosthuizen on Tuesday evening.

“They look okay. Rudie and I will discuss the merit of his case once the official charges are known.”

He added that he has advised Oosthuizen to get independent legal representation.

“Rudie’s son, Lenus Lubbe, contacted me shortly after their arrest yesterday to represent his father. I am not sure what Oosthuizen will be doing, but I recommended that she should get an independent lawyer.”

Jacques Freitag: Body of high jumper found near cemetery

Freitag’s sister, Chrissie Lewis, told Sunday Times that Freitag’s face was unrecognisable when his body was found and that her boyfriend, Theo Botha, could only identify him through a tattoo.

Freitag was last seen alive when he left a guest house – situated 4km away from the cemetery – on foot on 18 June.

He had been dropped off at the establishment the previous day by Lubbe who fetched him from the Bronkhorstspruit home of his mother, Hendrina Pieters, at 1am in the morning to allegedly pay him for “a job”.

Love triangle tragedy: Where does Shantellè Oosthuizen fit in?

The “job” for which Lubbe is said to have owed the former star athlete money, appears to have been a botched “hit” on Oosthuizen’s fiancé, the 31-year-old Louis Harmse.

Oosthuizen and Lubbe dated for 16 years before she met Harmse in March 2023. Despite Harmse and Oosthuizen’s engagement four months later, she apparently stayed in contact with Lubbe.

A botched hit?

Harmse told Rapport that he was allegedly attacked by Freitag with a brick at an apartment next to Lubbe’s rental home in Montana Park on 13 June.

He claimed that he was lured to the apartment by Oosthuizen, who told him that Lubbe organised a job on a farm for him.

The attack on Harmse took place five days before the high jumper was last seen alive leaving the guest house.

Freitag was reportedly a close friend of Lubbe and Oosthuizen, with Harmse also being one of his acquaintances.

Over the weekend, the investigative officer at Hercules Police Station, Captain Martin Smith, confirmed to The Citizen that Harmse lay criminal charges of attempted murder against Freitag and conspiracy to commit murder against Oosthuizen and Lubbe.

ALSO READ: ‘I am God’s mistake’: Haunting last interview with murdered SA high jump star Jacques Freitag

Why was Rudie Lubbe struck off the roll?

In 2006, Lubbe was struck off the roll of attorneys after complaints from the Law Society of the Northern provinces that he had been unprofessional and had stolen money from his trust account.

He also made headlines back in August 2004 after being arrested for allegedly threatening to kill his then wife, Magdaline.

Jacques Freitag: The golden boy of SA athletics

Freitag was only 21 when he won the gold medal in the men’s high jump event clearing 2.35m at the 9th IAAF World Athletics Championship at the Stade de France in Paris on 25 August 2003.

He still holds the national record after clearing 2.38m which he set in a competition in 2005 and is one of only 10 athletes, including Usain Bolt, to win world championship titles at the youth, junior, and senior levels of an athletic event.

NOW READ: The lawyer, the lover and the high jumper: Insiders lift lid on Freitag murder saga