One of the men who was found murdered in Secunda on June 1 is Jacques de Winnaar (37).

The Ridge Times reported that day about the bodies of two men that were found in the open field in the industrial area next to Kingfisher Street and the Secunda Airfield.

The Secunda police found De Winnaar’s body about 60m away from the body of an African man.

The communications officer of Secunda police, Sergeant Busisiwe Mthethwa, then said the police’s preliminary investigations revealed that both victims had sustained visible injuries, including gunshot wounds.

De Winnaar’s mother, Marinda Badenhorst, who lives in Standerton, recently told the Ridge Times she does not get any information from the police.

She described her son as a drifter. She last saw him a year ago.

“He lived in Middelburg, so I don’t know what he was doing in Secunda, if he was on his way to visit me, or maybe to see my husband who is working in Secunda,” said Badenhorst.

“Although we did not have contact for a long time, I did not think my son was missing or dead.”

The police contacted Badenhorst to inform her that they had found a body and she had to go and identify her son.

De Winnaar’s wife, Lynn Zimmerman, said they were separated, but they were still talking over the phone and talking about getting back together.

The couple has a daughter together, Dakota (8) and De Winnaar was like a father to Zimmerman’s son from a previous relationship, Danté (14).

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“Jacques did have a problem with alcohol and drugs, but he was not a bad guy, and he was trying to leave the alcohol and drugs,” said a crying Zimmerman.

“I was giving him some time to sort out his life. He loved his kids, and that is why he wanted to get clean to be there for them, he said. While he was abusing substances, he was a danger to them.

“He said to me one time, if there was one thing in this world he got right, it was his kids.”

Zimmerman also has questions about the murder and about what really happened to De Winnaar.

“The children are asking me all the time what happened to their father,” said Zimmerman.

The Ridge Times asked the police for comment again and how they are progressing on this case, but they said at this stage of the investigation they cannot release any information.

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