As the year draws to a close, a spate of farm attacks in various parts of the country has left at least three people dead.
In the latest incident the bodies of Johan van Dyk (58) and his wife Christina( 54) were found on Tuesday morning on the farm Kareebosch, about 20km out of Polokwane in the Limpopo province. They were apparently attacked late on Monday afternoon.
The Van Dyks had been managing the farm for owner Gert Fourie. Both had been beaten to death.
On Sunday morning attackers shot and killed Beatrize Naude (66) on the farm Doornpoort near Krugersdorp. They had gained entry by cutting through the burglar bars on her bedroom window. Naude’s husband Willem (72) escaped injury. The attackers reportedly fled with about R100 in a small tin.
Also on Sunday Adolf Pienaar (70) from the farm Kuilenberg near Zeerust in Northwest, was assaulted and robbed of his bakkie, two television sets and a number of other items. He was admitted to the Zeerust Hospital with head injuries.
Early in December Rinus Smith (27) was fatally shot during an attack on the farm Aangeknocht in the Bultfontein district of the northern Free State. A suspect was arrested on December 16, and another one on December 23. Police say the two suspects will be appearing in court soon.
Police statistics show 906 farm attacks for the year 2000, and 723 for 2001. 256 people died in these attacks.
Police figures for 2002 have not been released, but Agri SA, the umbrella organisation for farmers in South Africa, says there were 680 attacks from January to August this year, in which 80 people were killed. Should the trend continue, the total at year end would be 1020 attacks, with 120 people killed. – Sapa