'All we wanted was euphoric sex‚ but Liquid G killed my wife'

The husband of a Western Cape mother found dead at her home blames her death on a drug the couple took to spice up their sex life.

Idali van Zyl was found dead on July 13 in the bathroom of the Bredasdorp home she shared with her husband‚ Freddie‚ and their children aged six and nine.

Freddie told TimesLIVE that because the children were away they had drunk more than usual then decided to experiment with Liquid G‚ which produces euphoria but is also known as a date-rape drug.

“Idali and I were alone. Wednesday evenings are braai evenings‚ so that is what we did‚” he said. “We opened two bottles of wine‚ red for me and white wine for her. She normally drinks half a bottle of wine but later that evening she asked me to open another bottle.”

Then they took the drug. “About six or seven months ago we braaied with friends and we all talked around the fire over what one can do to spice up the sex‚” said Freddie.

“Idali mentioned that in her younger days she used to take this drug. Then three months later friends of ours went to the Cape and they got it and brought some back for us.”

Freddie said the friends had used it twice and handed it over with strict instructions to limit their consumption to 4ml each. “We decided together as a couple to use it‚ it wasn’t my idea alone or her idea alone.”

But instead of euphoria‚ Freddie said he passed out‚ cutting himself on a wine bottle in the process. “I lost about 4 litres of blood. I was told that if I hadn’t fallen on the bottle and cut myself I would have been died also‚” he said.

When Freddie recovered consciousness‚ he found Idali dead in their bathroom. A pathologist’s report indicated that she choked on her vomit‚ he said.

The couple were due to appear last week in Bellville Commercial Crimes Court on charges of theft‚ racketeering and money laundering in connection with their alleged part in a 10-strong car theft syndicate. The case has been postponed until September.

Said Freddie: “In 2010 I had a car dealership in Bredasdorp and my brother had one in Riversdale. The cars that we bought from an ex-police officer turned out to be stolen vehicles. He has subsequently turned state witness.

“We were arrested in 2013 and the case has been ongoing ever since. We got a good lawyer recently and he was in the process of getting Idali off the list because there was no evidence to link her to anything. Because she worked for me they made a case against her also.”

He denied rumours that he had abused his wife. “I am not sure whether it was the police officer or the ambulance person that said Idali’s neck was broken when they found her. And so the story just grew from there because people started saying that her neck is broken and I can’t remember‚ which makes me look suspect.

"The pathologist told me that there is not a single mark on her body. I never abused my wife.”

Police are investigating Idali’s death but say foul play is not suspected.

Sister-in-law's tribute to 'amazing person'

The bond between sisters-in law Idali and Maretha Jamneck solidified on a girls’ getaway to Thailand in 2015.

“She was my sister‚ I feel empty without her‚” Jamneck told TimesLIVE. “She was the most amazing person I have ever known. I am grateful for the privilege of knowing her.”

Jamneck‚ from Struisbaai‚ said her brother‚ Freddie‚ felt “empty” without the mother of their two children. “He said that he cannot imagine a life without her. He loved her very much and I must say that they had the most beautiful marriage I have ever seen.

“She cared for everyone around her. She was a grateful person and expressed it daily. She was a light to us and it will be very hard when we say our final goodbyes to her.”

Jamneck and friends are organising a memorial service this weekend.

What is Liquid G?

The clear Liquid G is a central nervous system depressant. It offers feelings of euphoria‚ but also causes sleepiness and is dangerous because users can easily overdose.

Within the “chemsex” scene‚ it is used as a sex drug and is popular at what UK newspaper Metro described as “GMTV” parties‚ where G (GHB)‚ M (mephedrone)‚ T (‘Tina’‚ tik‚ or crystal meth) and V (Viagra) are consumed.

The UK’s so-called “Grindr killer”‚ Stephen Port‚ who murdered four young men he met on a dating app‚ drugged them with Liquid G before having sex with their unconscious bodies.

Even when it is used voluntarily‚ Liquid G is dangerous because it is often bought as a pre-mixed liquid and users cannot tell how strong it is. The dose required for a “high” is also relatively close to the level at which users can overdose‚ sometimes fatally.

Ashley Potts‚ the director of the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre in Observatory‚ said: “Liquid G would form part of the methamphetamine (tik) category. When people say that there is a new drug on the market‚ for us as specialists we know that it is an older drug which has been mixed with other substances to give it a new name.”

The thread that links Reeva to Idali

Ida is the latest in a series of women who died violently in bathrooms.

• In February 2013‚ Oscar Pistorius murdered his girlfriend‚ Reeva Steenkamp‚ by shooting her through the door of his Pretoria bathroom. The Olympic athlete is serving a six-year sentence.
• Property boss Jason Rohde will be tried in the High Court in Cape Town later this year for the murder of his wife‚ Susan‚ whose body was found in a hotel bathroom at Spier wine estate‚ in Stellenbosch.
• The bodies of teacher Sunita van Dyk‚ 32‚ and her husband Jacques‚ 30‚ were discovered in the bathroom of their Wellington home in May after a fire. Post mortem results indicated that Sunita had neck injuries consistent with strangling. No arrests have been made.