A Facebook page has been set up in the name of suspected drug decoy Elize de Jager, requesting donations to help cover her legal bills following her arrest in Kenya in November last year.
However, De Jager’s sister, who lives in Gonubie and does not want to be named, said she wanted the page to be shut down.
She did not give a reason and declined to say how much money had been raised.
“The page was set up by Elize’s friend, but I told her this morning to close it,” she said.
The Facebook account was created three weeks ago by De Jager’s long-time friend Tess de Beer of Nelspruit, where De Jager lived before moving to Gonubie.
De Jager, 46, a cancer survivor, was arrested on November 22 at Jomo Kenyatta Airport en route from Brazil to Benin with 4.5kg of cocaine allegedly stashed in her luggage.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, De Beer said she had originally opened a Facebook page in her friend’s name in order to raise money in the event De Jager’s April 9 bail hearing was successful.
De Jager, who has pleaded not guilty, was not granted bail, however, and De Beer said money raised would go towards paying for her legal representative.
“I have known Elize for over 20 years. We clicked from day one and she is an awesome person. I am a single mom and she was always there for me emotionally and financially,” De Beer said.
“She was a very generous person and would give people her last cent at the robots.”
The Facebook page is peppered with messages of support from De Jager’s friends as well as photographs of her picking up shells on the beach and hugging her 22-year-old son.
There are also images of her posing on the streets of Brazil days before her airport arrest in Kenya.
“All her friends love her and they have all been asking after her so I opened the Facebook account under her name to help her.”
De Beer posted De Jager’s mother’s bank account details on Facebook, but said she did not know how much had been raised and referred the daily Dispatch to De Jager’s sister, who could also not provide this information.
De Beer said she had been in touch with De Jager on Facebook while she was in Brazil in November last year and grew increasingly worried when her friend kept saying her flights home were delayed.
Like others close to her, De Beer’s understanding was her friend had travelled to Brazil after being offered a tour guide job by an old friend from Nelspruit.
The man committed suicide in December, a few weeks after De Jager’s arrest.
“I would ask her why she was not back yet if she had been due to fly the day before, but then a week or two before her arrest she said people were watching her Facebook account and she could not talk via her inbox anymore.”
De Beer, who posted on April 2 that R68000 was needed to secure the services of a lawyer, said she was afraid her friend would be sentenced to life in prison. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Online request to help drug accused
However, De Jager’s sister, who lives in Gonubie and does not want to be named, said she wanted the page to be shut down.
She did not give a reason and declined to say how much money had been raised.
“The page was set up by Elize’s friend, but I told her this morning to close it,” she said.
The Facebook account was created three weeks ago by De Jager’s long-time friend Tess de Beer of Nelspruit, where De Jager lived before moving to Gonubie.
De Jager, 46, a cancer survivor, was arrested on November 22 at Jomo Kenyatta Airport en route from Brazil to Benin with 4.5kg of cocaine allegedly stashed in her luggage.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, De Beer said she had originally opened a Facebook page in her friend’s name in order to raise money in the event De Jager’s April 9 bail hearing was successful.
De Jager, who has pleaded not guilty, was not granted bail, however, and De Beer said money raised would go towards paying for her legal representative.
“I have known Elize for over 20 years. We clicked from day one and she is an awesome person. I am a single mom and she was always there for me emotionally and financially,” De Beer said.
“She was a very generous person and would give people her last cent at the robots.”
The Facebook page is peppered with messages of support from De Jager’s friends as well as photographs of her picking up shells on the beach and hugging her 22-year-old son.
There are also images of her posing on the streets of Brazil days before her airport arrest in Kenya.
“All her friends love her and they have all been asking after her so I opened the Facebook account under her name to help her.”
De Beer posted De Jager’s mother’s bank account details on Facebook, but said she did not know how much had been raised and referred the daily Dispatch to De Jager’s sister, who could also not provide this information.
De Beer said she had been in touch with De Jager on Facebook while she was in Brazil in November last year and grew increasingly worried when her friend kept saying her flights home were delayed.
Like others close to her, De Beer’s understanding was her friend had travelled to Brazil after being offered a tour guide job by an old friend from Nelspruit.
The man committed suicide in December, a few weeks after De Jager’s arrest.
“I would ask her why she was not back yet if she had been due to fly the day before, but then a week or two before her arrest she said people were watching her Facebook account and she could not talk via her inbox anymore.”
De Beer, who posted on April 2 that R68000 was needed to secure the services of a lawyer, said she was afraid her friend would be sentenced to life in prison. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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