Freitag died 'cold, hungry and alone'

He was a multimillionaire by the age of 21 and South Africa’s darling on the international sports circuit, but Jacques Freitag died cold, hungry and alone — murdered execution-style.

The former world champion and current Africa record holder in the high jump fell from grace to the extent that at one stage he lived on the streets and begged for money in a Pick n Pay parking lot.

His sister, Chrissie Lewis, is heartbroken.

“To the rest of the world my brother was a celebrity and a legend. In Bronkhorstspruit he was a bum. He fell through the cracks and there was nobody to catch him.

“I can’t say too much, but Jacques died a horrible death. His last hours were terrible. He was cold, hungry and alone. My brother was a celebrity 20 years ago, but his life fell apart. Yes, he sometimes used recreational drugs over the years, but depression, sleeping pills and alcohol were the real problems,” Lewis, 47, told the Sunday Times.

The former athlete’s body was found on Monday in a field near the Zandfontein cemetery in Hercules, Pretoria West. It is understood that Freitag, 42, was picked up in Bronkhorstspruit on June 17 by an unknown man who purportedly had a job for him.

Lewis reported him missing on June 24. Police have opened a murder docket.

“He did not even own a car for the last 20 years. He walked where he had to go. My brother’s life is a tragic story of too much money and fame at a too-young age with no mentorship.”

Freitag was one of only 10 athletes to win world championships at the youth, junior and senior levels of an athletic event.

Lewis is angry. “While Jacques was begging to stay alive and living on the streets, photos of him were being sold by agencies for almost $500 [R9,000] a go. How is that fair?”

She said her brother struggled with depression.

“He fought hard against it and was in and out of rehabs several times. The papers have been reporting that he was a drug abuser, but although he did sometimes use recreational drugs over the years, his real problems were with alcohol, sleeping pills and depression.

“Our father, who played rugby and cricket for Griqualand West, took his own life when he was in his mid-30s.”

At one stage Lewis broke off her ties with  her brother, but could not stand idly by while he suffered.

“My boyfriend Theo Botha and I helped Jacques to get a flat in Emalahleni. The two of us, my mom, and one of our cousins were the only people he had left in his life at the end. Everybody else had written Jacques off.”

Freitag’s landlord contacted Lewis on June 17.

“The landlord said Jacques hadn’t been home for a week ... I didn’t have the money to travel to Bronkhorstspruit from Centurion where we live. I will have to carry that with me for the rest of my life.

“On June 21 I drove to Emalahleni. My legs almost gave in when I saw what was left of his life. After my divorce I gave Jacques a lot of furniture and appliances. When I walked into the apartment I was shocked. Everything was gone. He sold it to survive.”

On June 24 she reported Freitag as missing. He was last seen alive on June 17 at a guest house in Pretoria. 

Botha identified Freitag’s body. He had been shot several times. “It was very traumatic. His face was unrecognisable. Theo could only identify him through a tattoo.”

Lewis does not want to go into the motive for the murder.

“I don't want to say anything that will influence the police investigation. I can say that there will be a lot of ugly things about my brother coming out when the police are finished with their investigations. Until then, I just want to say goodbye to my little brother. Whatever went wrong in his life doesn’t change the fact that we share the same blood,” Lewis said.

My legs almost gave in when I saw what was left of his life. After my divorce I gave Jacques a lot of furniture and appliances. When I walked into the apartment I was shocked. Everything was gone. He sold it to survive

In December, on the occasion of their mother’s 70th birthday, she saw her brother for the first time in “a few years”.

“I have two kids and I tried to protect them from Jacques’s lifestyle so we did not have contact until my mother’s birthday.  That evening at 8.30pm Jacques phoned me for help. He was on the streets with only a little kitbag. Nothing warm and not even a toothbrush.”

She immediately made plans.

“Theo and I helped him to get the flat in Emalahleni. Theo even paid his electricity, but we again reached a point where it was just not sustainable to keep giving him money. In one month we gave Jacques more than R12,000 and we just couldn’t afford it.”

Lewis said their mother, Hendrien, herself a former South African high-jump record holder, was taking her son’s death hard. “She weighs 48kg. We hope she will survive this.”

She has started a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to raise money for a funeral service.

“We are not rich people. When Theo identified Jacques’s body we had to pay R15,000 for the morgue to release it — R15,000 for a piece of paper saying ‘this is Jacques Freitag’. We didn’t have the money but some of his friends from [high school] in Pretoria paid.”

Her aim is to raise R200,000.

“People have already started attacking me online, saying I am trying to make money out of my brother’s death. People must ask what Joost van der Westhuizen’s funeral cost before they jump to conclusions.”

A date for the funeral has not yet been decided. “We expect a lot of people who will want to say goodbye. No matter what went wrong, he is still one of the greatest athletes ever to come from South Africa.”

Gauteng police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said: “We are following all possible leads to ensure that his murderer is traced and brought to justice.”