The father of the 29-year-old Limpopo farmer, Willem Kruger, opened up about the last time he spoke to his son.
Tian Kruger, who specializes in various farming including cotton, citrus, corn, tobacco and cattle, revealed in an interview with Network 24if the son is not eager to participate in the bachelor party.
Willem disappeared in November last year, near Henbase Lodge in Morgenzon, Mpumalanga, after attending his college friend Ghini Greyling’s stag party.
She was also supposed to be a bridesmaid at Greyling’s wedding scheduled for next month.
Nine days after the young farmer disappeared, divers found his body in a white Toyota Hilux Dakar, in the Vaal River on November 22.
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Willem did not know Ghini very well
According to Kruger, one of the last things Willem said before leaving was that he didn’t understand why Ghini asked him to be his bridesmaid.
Kruger told the publication, “Willem has other friends who are like brothers, but Ghini is not close to him”.
Willem has also told his father that he barely knows anyone in bachelorhood, but he will take a school friend, Callie Reynecke, who is friends with Ghini.
“I said, Ghini thinks about you a lot. You said you were going and you couldn’t put him down,” Kruger said.
Then, Kruger said goodbye to his son, not knowing that this would be his last conversation with Willem.
Also read: Doubts that Willem Kruger died by drowning
Reynecke broke the news to the Kruger family
Willem and Reynecke travel to Henbase Lodge, located about 200km from the Kruger farm.
Kruger said the next thing they heard from Reynecke who informed the family there, that William is missing.
Kruger and his wife, Stephanie, were watching TV when Willem’s sister, Danelle, ran in with the news.
“I asked them to be included in the single WhatsApp group. You know only a few, probably five people in the group have thanked me about William, Uncle, I didn’t ask for sympathy from Ghini’s father.
Kruger said he knew Ghini’s father through farming circles.
“I started calling people on Sunday and sending people to look for them, but they couldn’t cross.”
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He said the family remained in the area during the search. But he was advised to leave the place once the bakkie had been found.
Willem, is not old enough to celebrate his crown birthday, which should be on June 30 this year. Despite studying accounting at the University of Pretoria, where he met Ghini, Willem was eager to take over his father’s business.
Kruger is set to hand over the reins in April.
Kruger’s family has since sought help from Afriforum’s private prosecution unit to deal with their son’s death.
Translated from Afrikaans and compiled by Narissa Subramoney.
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