MIKE de Kock has expressed his deep shock and described as an absolute tragedy, the brutal murder and suspected rape of renowned equine veterinarian and nutritionist, Dr Rensia de Wet, at her Mpumalanga home on Tuesday.

Mike had worked closely with Dr De Wet (formerly Möller) in the developing of the Mike de Kock Feed Mix, a huge and growing success not only for his own stable, but for a number of trainers in South Africa and other parts of the world since being launched in conjunction with Epol in 2010.

Dr Rensia de Wet was an international authority on equine nutrition and exercise physiology.

De Wet (46) specialized in proprietary formulations and supplements for horses and had a wealth of knowledge and experience in metabolic and performance related disorders.  Extraordinarily skillful at combining equine nutrition and exercise physiology, she was internationally recognized as an authority in her field of expertise.

De Wet obtained her degree in Agricultural Science at The University of Pretoria before graduating cum laude for her BScAgric Honours in Equine Nutrition and Genetics. She obtained her Masters in Equine Exercise Physiology and Equine Nutrition at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty before completing her Veterinary Science degree at Onderstepoort cum laude.

She opened an equine veterinary and nutrition practice in 2002, as well as developing her own equine nutritional supplement brand in South Africa. She was appointed manager of Zabeel Feedmill in Dubai in 2006 where she custom designed professional performance equine feeds for various internationally acclaimed racing operations, including Godolphin and Darley.  She also conducted extensive research at the Equine Research Centre in South Africa.

De Wet’s knowledge was in high demand and she had consulted widely in recent years. For the last several months she’d lived at Nottinghill Equestrian Estate near Witrivier, where a wooden house was built especially for her after she’d assisted the Estate with their horses.

She had a passion for animals, was a keen rider and her own horse was stabled on the estate close to her cottage – she reportedly considered her home as very safe  due to its proximity to the main house on the property and  the closeness of  community members.

She was found half naked in her bedroom at 16.30 on Tuesday with stab wounds to her head, neck and chest. The house had been ransacked but police could not say what was taken or missing.  They said that no one had been arrested and appealed to people who might have information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators to approach their local police station.

Rensia de Wet was divorced and had no children. She leaves her parents, who reside in Durban. We at mikedekockracing.com join Mike in expressing our heartfelt sympathies to Rensia’s family, colleagues and friends.