No one arrested after the murder of Hettema
According to his daughter he did not feel safe at home.
The senseless murder of rally legend Jan Hettema still has fans, friends and family reeling with shock and disbelief.
The 83-year-old for several years attempted to sell the smallholding in Tweedracht, east of the city, where he was murdered.
According to his daughter Helena, he had not felt safe there anymore.
No arrests have yet been made in connection with the murder which took place last Wednesday. Investigations were continuing.
Hettema, a former South African cycling champion and five-time rally champion was shot dead on his smallholding in Tweedracht when two armed gunmen overpowered his wife, Elsa, a labourer and him at their home.
According to police, Hettema was shot dead while his wife was tied up and the worker shoved in a cupboard. Both survived the attack.
Helena Hettema, an acclaimed cabaret and recording artist, said her father had on several occasions expressed that he believed it to be dangerous living on the isolated 10 hectare property.
“My father was aware of the danger and that he wasn’t safe but he was having a really tough time trying to sell the property.
He really did try his best to move.”
She said family and friends were still devastated by the senseless killing but were trying their best to come to terms with her father’s death.
The motorsport and cycling champion will be buried at the Brooklyn Methodist Church on Wednesday, 6 July at 15.00.
Helena said despite the death of her father she planned on continuing with her booked performances because her father would have wanted her to do so.
“My dad has always been a staunch supporter of my career and I will keep going for him,” said Helena.
Two robbers were reported to have overpowered Hettema, his wife and a labourer after which they ransacked his smallholding.
The murderers were said to have escaped with a laptop, cellphones and jewellery.
Hettema was declared dead on the scene and was reported to have been shot once in theface.
On Sunday Helena wrote the following on his Facebook wall:
Dear Daddy – you wrote “May the nightingale sing forever”
I am your nightingale
And you will always be my song
And into eternity, forever
Entwined in my heart You shall belong
You have run the race
You were the best dad in the world. I will carry you with me wherever I go.
Love always
Helena
A tribute for Hettema’s fans and industry friends is to be held at the Kyalami racing circuit on July 8.
After news of the murder, multiple motorsport champion Sarel van der Merwe wrote on his facebook page:
“A sad day for SA motor sport with the shooting of the iconic Jan Hettema this morning. He will be remembered as the as the King of rallying, a tough rival and a role model for sportsmen. R.I.P. my old enemy, mentor and friend.”
Others in the motorsport fraternity also expressed their grief and offered their condolences.
They included the multiple production, car and touring car champion Mike Briggs, production and Formula GTi champion Chris Aberdein, and karting and production car champion Claudio Piazza-Musso, Hettema was born in 1933 in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands but his family repatriated to South Africa literally days before the outbreak of World War II.
Also read:
Pretoria mourns rally champion
A rally legend killed in Pretoria
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