Hoekstra 'planned to miss work' on the day he died

SLAIN Walmer Country Club manager and former Eastern Province rugby coach Gerrie Hoekstra was not planning to go to work on the day he was tragically gunned down.

Hoekstra's former colleague, testifying at the start of the trial of his alleged killers yesterday, said Hoekstra had asked him and another colleague to take responsibility for the banking.

Hoekstra, 61, was transporting R33000 in cash from the club in Victoria Drive to a bank in Walmer when he was shot in broad daylight in what is suspected to be a botched robbery on November 22 2010.

Jurgens Slabbert, who worked at the club as an internal security officer and handyman at the time, told the Port Elizabeth High Court Hoekstra had told him he would not be coming in to work on the day he was killed. - Lee-Anne Butler