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It has been two months since the brutal murder of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag in Pretoria, who was found shot and stabbed in a field near Zandfontein Cemetery in Pretoria.

After the gruesome discovery, the two suspects, disgraced former lawyer Rudolph “Rudie” Lubbe and his long-time lover, Shantellè Oosthuizen, are on the run from the law following the discovery of Freitag’s body, facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The fugitive couple vanished shortly after they were taken in for questioning about the case, with authorities believing they are probably adopting disguises and staying low while police digitally track their cards to see where they spend their money.

In the meantime, a few new twists and allegations have surfaced around the shocking case, according to The Citizen, which spoke to two prominent people close to the murder case of the 42-year-old Freitag.

Apparently, Freitag’s relationship with Lubbe and Oosthuizen can be traced back several years, according to specialist private investigator Mike Bolhuis, whose Specialised Security Services (SSS) task team is working closely with the police.

RT #sapsGP #SAPS Hercules have obtained warrants of arrest for Rudie Lubbe and Chantelle Oosthuizen (in photos) who are believed to be on the run from the law following the discovery of Jacques Freitag’s body on 01 July 2024.

Lubbe and Oosthuizen are facing charges which include… pic.twitter.com/y9mZo5jZzY

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) July 10, 2024

The last time that Fretiag was seen alive, he was picked up by Lubbe from his mom’s Bronkhorstspruit home at 1AM in the morning as Lubbe allegedly wanted to pay him for “a job”. He was then found dead at the Zandfontein Cemetery, which is situated about 4km from the guesthouse where he was dropped off during these dodgy dealings.

Apparently, the “job” seems to have been a botched “hit” on Oosthuizen’s fiancé, the 31-year-old Louis Harmse.

This is where it gets interesting, as Oosthuizen and Lubbe dated for 16 years before she met Harmse in March 2023 at De La Rey’s, Lenus’ pub and grill in Bela-Bela (which is now permanently closed). But despite getting engaged to her new squeeze, Oosthuizen kept contact with Lubbe.

“Once, she stayed with Lubbe for three weeks. When I decided to go and fetch her in Pretoria, she told me that they had a lot of loose ends to tie up, such as furniture which needed to be sold,” Harmse told Rapport.

At some point, Harmse says he was brutally attacked by Freitag at the instruction of Lubbe and Oosthuizen, luring him in with another bogus “job”.

Harmse told Rapport that on the morning of June 13, Oosthuizen informed him that Lubbe had arranged a job for him on a farm and that she would be staying with him at Lubbe’s rental home in Montana Park before driving out to the farm. While he was unpacking, Oosthuizen allegedly told him that she and Lubbe were going to score drugs while he settled in – which in retrospect was an elaborate lie for as soon they left, Harmse was brutally attacked by Freitag with a brick. The injury was so bad that he needed 240 stitches and a fibre-glass plate fitted at the back of his skull.

Investigating officer Captain Martin Smith confirmed that Harmse laid charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder against Oosthuizen and Lubbe.

For the next twist, it has come to light that Freitag was also on the run before his disappearance on 18 June.

An anonymous source shared with Rapport that Freitag was initially under the impression that he killed Harmse.

The source said the distraught ex-high jumper arrived on his doorstep, convinced that the police were looking for him and that he would be thrown in jail, and said he would rather be poisoned than face imprisonment.

According to the source, Freitag told him that Lubbe, with whom he allegedly did drugs together on a regular basis, hired him to murder Harmse.

That’s when the former golden boy quickly fled in a minibus taxi to his mother’s home in Bronkhorstspruit only to be murdered – five days after putting a brick to Harmse’s head.

Despite his athletic prowess, Freitag’s post-sport life was fraught with challenges. He retired from high jumping in 2013 and subsequently struggled with addiction. His sister revealed that in recent years Freitag had been sleeping on the streets or sofa surfing unable to maintain a full-time job.

Investigating officer Smith noted that Lubbe’s business dealings have “not [been] above board”, adding that “Throughout the years, he has also been in the spotlight for unethical conduct.”

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. Most frighteningly, in 2004 he was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill his then-wife, Magdaline. It seems he’s had blood on his hands for a long time.

Lubbe, 53, and Oosthuizen, 42, are wanted for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The specialist investigator urged members of the public to immediately get in touch with the police if they spot Lubbe and Oosthuizen.

[source:citizen]