Mbombela (Nelspruit) – A farmer and his wife were brutally attacked at their homestead in Grootvlei, near Balfour in Mpumalanga at the weekend.
The farmer, identified as 79-year-old Theo Frederik Bekker, died in the attack. His injured wife was taken to hospital.
Mpumalanga SA Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said: “The suspects ransacked the couple’s house and managed to make off with an undisclosed amount in cash, a 22 pistol, a 38 special revolver, a shotgun, and the couple’s Renault Kwid”.
As fate would have it, the fleeing gang rolled the stolen car about 25km from the crime scene before they escaped on foot.
Brigadier Mohlala told The Bulrushes that: “The stolen shotgun was found on the accident scene”.
However, SAPS officers gathered information from eyewitnesses and traced and arrested the murder suspects.
Brigadier Mohala added: “The other two stolen firearms, a pistol, and a revolver were found in their (suspects) possession”.
The four accused aged between 16 and 19 are expected to appear in the Balfour Magistrate’s Court Tuesday, (1 August 2023).
All the suspects are facing charges of murder, assault with an intent to cause grievous bodily harm and robbery.
