Pretoria father Koos Koekemoer was laid to rest at Zandfontein Cemetery this morning, while, according to earlier reports, his wife faces allegations that she shot and killed him during a domestic incident on their smallholding near the city.

Koekemoer (60) was fatally shot on 2 December on the family’s smallholding near Pretoria, allegedly by his wife, Bettie, during a domestic dispute.

She appeared in court this week on a charge of murder, where the state reportedly highlighted the seriousness of the allegation against the backdrop of an alleged history of domestic violence.

Koekemoer’s funeral service took place at Zandfontein Cemetery on Wednesday.

According to reports, Bettie Koekemoer claims she cannot remember shooting her husband, Koos (60), on 2 December on their smallholding near Pretoria, saying she had severe stomach pain that day and that he allegedly refused to take her to a doctor. In her bail affidavit, she states that, after an argument, he allegedly pushed her, she fell, hit her head hard, and remembers nothing further.

Court papers further allege that Bettie had for years been isolated and abused – she was not allowed to work or get a driver’s licence, there were times her Type 1 diabetes medication was not bought, and on some days she and the children allegedly had no food, forcing her to mix spices with water and pretend it was soup.

The family had reportedly been without electricity for more than 18 months, with the generator only used when Koos was “in the mood” to buy petrol, and his last salary was allegedly paid into a mistress’s account.

The prosecutor, Tumelo Letaoana, reportedly said Bettie is not seen as a flight risk but urgently needs medical care; her lawyer, Elzabe Brink, told the court her client is almost blind, diabetic, struggles to walk, and is the mother of a 12-year-old partially disabled child.

It is believed their 23-year-old daughter has already given a statement and will move in with her fiancé to avoid contact about the case, while Bettie and her younger child are to be accommodated at a care facility as the family home remains a crime scene.

The National Prosecuting Authority could not yet confirm this.

Rekord spoke to the woman who is accused of being Koos’s mistress.

She denied the affair, stating they were just good friends. She furthermore described Koos as  a gentle giant.

“We were each other’s anchor; he was the most beautiful, soft-hearted person – a real gentle giant.”

She met Koos in 2017 at church and said they had since become best friends.

She also indicated that Koos and Bettie had been separated in all but name for the past four years.

According to her, Kobus phoned shortly before the shooting to say things were becoming hectic, and she advised him to remove himself from the situation and to keep quiet, but Bettie allegedly followed him with the gun.

It is also believed that Bettie had previously threatened to shoot and kill Koos and their youngest daughter, and she was described as the aggressor in the relationship.

“Kobus had on multiple occasions tried to remove the firearm from the house because he felt unsafe, but was unable to do so as it was Bettie’s firearm and she allegedly kept changing the safe’s password.”

She added that he loved his daughters deeply and endured the abuse for their sake.

Also read: Wife allegedly shoots and kills husband during domestic dispute