A couple is said to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a gathering of Suzuki Jimny cars in the Free State earlier this week, and not due to a gas leak.

Carl Koen (52) and Sharon de Villiers (50) were found dead in their tent on Monday on the camping terrain of Langkranz near Clarens, where the gathering was held.

Their deaths were previously wrongly attributed by the police in a press release to a gas leak from a stove in their tent.

Koen’s ex-wife, Lynne, confirmed it was not a gas leak, but that the burner flame of the small gas stove most probably did not go out.
She says Carl was a wonderful father to their three kids: Meaghan (23), Jennifer Rose (22) and Ruari (18).

“He was a loving man and left a legacy of goodness to everyone who knew him,” adds Lynne.

Carl was a co-director of a software company and president of the Mustang Musketeers Club in SA.

He is also survived by Carl Koen Sr and his stepmom, Rosalie.

De Villiers, who was a project manager with Liberty Life, is survived by her daughter, Bianca van Eeden.