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20100831

Three farm attacks: two killed, four injured

 Summary: SAPS Capt Kevein Marallich killed and fiancee Cathy Potgieter assaulted fishing at Nyoni farm dam; Msinsi game reserve supervisor Erica Croeser ‘s throat cut and husband, SAPS constable Morne Croeser injured at bass-fishing tournament; ex-NP politician Dirk Odendaal, 80 and wife Sophia, 79, injured in farm attack, Verdun near Meets, Bethlehem

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2010-08-30 SAPS Capt Kevein Marallich shot dead, Nyoni farm dam, KZN 

SAPS Capt Kevein Marallich, of the crime-intelligence unit in Eshowe, was shot dead and fiancee Cathy Potgieter was severely assaulted while the off-duty cop was fishing at a rural dam near Nyoni, 30km north of Stanger on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast on Sunday-afternoon.

SAPS superintendent Jay Naicker said the couple had been fishing at a farm dam near Nyoni, 30 km north of Stanger (KwaDukuza) when they were confronted by two black men, one armed with a high calibre pistol. Capt. Marallich was immediately shot in the face, killing him at the scene -  and Potgieter was severely assaulted and was found by farm workers floating in the dam. Netcare spokesperson Jeff Wicks said Ms Potgieter was in a critical condition in Umhlanga hospital. Both were from Eshowe and Marallich worked for the police's crime intelligence unit in Eshowe. – Sapa http://www.themercury.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20100830080417495C732236

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2010-08-28 Erica Croeser, 32, supervisor at Msinsi game reserve Albert Falls Dam, killed; throat cut, husband SAPS constable Morne seriously injured

  • 300 guests at annual bass-fishing tournament upset over gruesome murder attack on Afrikaner couple

Pietermaritzburg – Aug 29 2010 – The Witness reports that a wildlife lodge supervisor’s throat was cut and her policeman husband  was stabbed with the same knife at their game-reserve homestead at Msinsi Game Reserve, Albert Falls Dam, in the early hours of Saturday.

Croeser Erica throat slit supervisor Msinsi lodge Albert Falls Dam KZN Aug282010

Mrs Erica Croeser, 32, had her throat slit with a knife that was also used to stab her 34-year-old husband, Constable Morné Croeser of the SAPS dog unit, in the stomach . When paramedics arrived they found the knife still lodged in his stomach. 

The scene was described as “very, very gory” and the 300 fishermen-guests who were at the lodge for the annual bass-fishing tournament were shocked and horrified. Erica had been working at Albert Falls as a tourism assistant for 10 years.
It is believed that the couple had just arrived home when they were attacked. A source said that while Morné parked the car, Erica went to open the front door of their house. Two armed men were waiting in ambush and pounced on her.  The couple’s two young daughters, aged 6 and 10, were staying with their grandmother at the time of the attack.

Gunshot
Distraught neighbour Hlekisile Nkala told The Witness that she heard a gunshot just after 02:00, and about 10 minutes later she heard a male voice screaming for help. She quickly woke her husband and called the police. An employee at the reserve said the incident  had shocked the more than 300 participants staying there for the annual bass fishing tournament, which started on Friday. “The customers have also expressed shock and fear over the gruesome murder. They keep asking if the murder really happened and if it was that gruesome,” said an employee. “Since the
murder attack  we have increased the number of security guards from two to four. We are also looking at more ways of increasing the security,” said Msinsi Holdings marketing manager Ray Naguran.

SAPS spokeswoman Joey Jeevan said Morné Croeser was in a serious but stable condition in hospital on Sunday. She said when paramedics arrived at the scene with police, the knife used to stab him was still lodged in his abdomen. “Paramedics removed the knife and put up a drip and treated him before he was taken to hospital.” Jeevan said no arrests had been made, adding that nothing seemed to be stolen. “At this stage police believe that this is linked to a labour dispute. She was a supervisor, and responsible for hiring and firing.” Mrs Croeser’s mother Francoisana Schafer said the family are coping with “the sad story”, but was unable to comment any further. - Stephanie Saville and Bongani Hans, The Witness http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Womans-throat-slit-in-nature-reserve-20100829  http://www.msinsi.co.za/albert-falls-dam.phpCroeser Erica throat slit supervisor Msinsi lodge Albert Falls Dam KZN Aug282010_LODGE

 

2010-08-29 ex-NP MEC Dirk Odendaal, 80 and wife Sophia, 79, attacked on FS farm Verdun near Meets, Bethlehem

2010-08-30  Jana van der Merwe and Lynda Greyling report in Volksblad newspaper that a well-known Afrikaner politician, Dirk Odendaal, 80, was attacked with his wife Sophia, 70 upon their return from church to their farm Verdun near Meets, Bethlehem, Free State. Mr Odendaal was an ex-member of the provincial council (MPC) for Harrismith and ex-director of the Drakensberg Cooperative and of Sentraboer. He also was the chairman of the Afrikaans cultural organisation Rapportryers in Bethlehem.

Both were ambushed by three black men with balaclavas just outside their homestead at noon. Mr Odendaal was viciously assaulted with a tyre-iron, his wife was beaten black and blue and her nose was broken. The attackers tore her earrings from her earlobes. Their daughter Mrs Rianza van Huyssteen said the man first first her mother to open the house.  “One beat her through the face with a loaf of bread they’d bought enroute from the church and she fell over a wall while a knife was held at her throat. Mr Odendaal rushed in when he heard her screams and was beaten by the tyre-iron. He suffered serious leg injuries. The men forced him to open their registered gun-safe and stole a 6.45 pistol. There was no money in the safe. However they beat up the elderly politician until he gave them all the money the couple could find in the house, about R6,000. The couple then was locked into the large cooling-room outside the homestead and fled with the couple’s Bantam bakkie.

Amazingly the old man then struggled for three hours with a sheep-hook to get the cooler unlocked from the inside and break out. “It’s terrible,’ she said. “I don’t know where my dad got the strength to free themselves.” She said he was bleeding copiously. Odendaal, met sy erg beseerde been en bloed wat oor hom stroom, het met ’n skaaphaak drie uur lank gestoei om die deur van binne oop te breek sodat hulle kon hulp ontbied.

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