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Mentally handicapped man stabbed to death

 

2009-07-13 Handiman Boet Botha, 58 died during a fierce struggle with a knifeman – nothing robbed


Botha Boet Ment Handicapped Afrikaner stabbed to death July 12 2009 Heidelberg care home nothing robbed Jul 13 2009  HEIDELBERG, ZA. Gloria Edwards reports in Beeld newspaper that Boet Botha, an amiable, 58-year-old mentally handicapped Afrikaner who worked as a handiman at the Prop & XV World in Heidelberg, was repeatedly stabbed during a (clearly) very fierce struggle at his home, as it left a blood-trail all over the house, coating the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom walls and floors in his blood.  “Boet” is an Afrikaans nickname for ‘brother’: his legal first name was not provided in the article.

The murdered man was found by police in a large pool of blood in his bedroom in Museum Street, Heidelberg, stabbed four times with a knife, said police captain Thivhulawi Thsilate. No-one has been arrested. Nothing was missing from the house, said his sister Mrs Magda Botha, who lives with her brother and her mother in the small home. The two women rushed back from their holiday at Marloth Park near the Kruger Wildlife Reserve when hearing the dreadful news.

“It’s so strange. He was murdered so cruelly and without any apparent reason. He was the most lovable person and had no enemies, a helpful man with a very small heart,’ she said. Mrs Botha and her mom Sannie, 80, had taken a few days vacation, but had left their telephone number with Boet’s employer Mrs Annelie Botes, 40, owner of Prop & CV World in Heidelberg. She told Beeld that she became worried when Boet did not show up for work on Monday. “We last saw him at work Saturday-afternoon. When he didn’t show up on Monday we went to look for him at his home. We noticed that the window was broken and he didn’t open the door. We warned the police, who found him dead.’

Mrs Botes and other colleagues spent all Monday scrubbing the blood off the walls and floors of the Botha house before the sister and mother returned home. “We phoned Magda and auntie Botha, who were terribly shocked and are taking it badly. We had to clean the house before they came back because auntie Botha would not have been able to handle seeing such a scene,’ she said. (Note: Afrikaners always refer to older females as ‘auntie’ or ‘tannie’ even when they are not related.) The investigating police officer is inspector Buks Stuart at telephone 016 – 341-5175. .http://jv.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2538413,00.html