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20100302

Horrendous slaughter: details of latest SA crimes

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2010-03-02 Ron Smith (70) murdered Droogekloof-smallholdings Warmbaths 

The Transvaal Agricultural Union reacted with shock to the murder of Afrikaner smallholder Ron Smith. The elderly man was found murdered in a cottage at the Droogekloof smallholdings 15km outside Warmbaths. Worried family members had been unable to reach him and contacted SAPS, who found his body.

The TAU-SA chairman of the Provincial Security committee has expressed his heartfelt condolances to the family and the community who knew Mr Smith. Tel: 015 – 297 3749; Fax  0866 180 781 email: marie@ntlu.co.za

The year’s crime events thus far in Limpopo province are as follows:

  • 21 December 2009 Pieter Snyman murdered – wife and daughters held captive from 19:30 tot 22:30.
  • January 2010: farm attack on worker in Alldays – Waterpoort area.
  • January 2010 Blue-light attackers in SAPS uniforms rob Olerm farm.
  • February 2010 Koos van Staden shot dead farm Hoedspruit while watching TV next to his wife
  • 19 February 2010: The Booysen couple – in their seventies – were beaten to death with stones at Tinmyne outside Potgietersrust
  • 26 February 2010: Etienne Cannaerts (61) murdered Belgian game farm owner Cornwall Game Lodge (Koedoesrand / Baltimore).
  • 27 February 2010: Paul Dunn, 49, farm foreman, Letsitele murdered early Saturday-morning.
  • 1 Maart 2010: Ron Smith (70) Warmbaths, Droogekloof smallholdings  http://www.tlu.co.za

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2010-02-26 Murdered Belgian businessman Etienne Cannaert felt ‘perfectly safe’ on Limpopo farm

ELLISRAS. The Belgian news agency Belga reports that 61-year-old Belgian businessman Etienne Cammaerts – who hails from the Wezembeek-Oppem municipal area in Flanders – was murdered at his farm in Limpopo on Friday after he was kidnapped. Cammaerts rented out tourist cottages for nature lovers who visited their Cornwall Game Lodge next to the Botswana border. When he failed to respond when his life partner Ingrid tried to raise him on their walkie-talkie, friends and police mounted a large search-action. The Belgian news media claims that he was ‘robbed’- however his friend in South Africa Marco Ruiter said there was no evidence that anything was robbed. SAPS Supt. Ronel Otto said his hands and feet were trussed up together and he was murdered next to a water-pan. He was found next to his farm-vehicle. http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=NU2MUSSI

“ Far away from the stress..’

It was reported from Tervuren in Belgium that Cammaerts had sold up his courier business Distridi there to ‘realise a dream’ – moving to South africa to ‘build up a new life – far away from the stress. However his dream turned into a nightmare. He was brutally murdered at his estate close to Botswana – and where he’d built the Cornwall Game Lodge. (contact info: +27 (0)14 763 4110 +27 (0)72 329 2360 cornwall@telkomsa.net )

He treated his workers so well…

Ingrid meanwhile has moved temporarily to friends at a neighbouring farm. She informed Cammaerts family in Belgium. His sister told the news media that ‘her brother felt perfectly safe on his South African estate. Of course South Africa is known as an unsafe country. However that’s mainly a problem in the city not on the farms.’  She also said that her brother had made many friends: “He had built up a good tie with other Belgians there and with white and black Africans alike. His personnel also liked him - indeed they adored him because he treated them so well…’

Radio Pretoria also reports that police were said to be 'dumb-founded about a motive' in the murder of Belgian man. Radio Pretoria described how he was murdered: he was  kidnapped when he returned from dropping off his workers on Friday-afternoon kidnapped in his own vehicle and found with his throat slashed next to his vehicle on a remote farm road. Radio Pretoria also noted that 'his farm had been in an area which was earmarked for black-economic empowerment.” 

The Belgian couple had lived on the farm for the past six years;  said family friend Marco Ruiter to Beeld newspaper. He said the murder was ‘gruesome’. Ingrid had already arranged to have her husband’s body shipped back to Belgium for a forensic post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death, said Ruiter. “We don’t want to say anything about it. He will be buried in Belgium after the post-mortem’. No-one was arrested.

“Land-Reform’ blamed for many farm-murders:

  • Despite the dramatic failure of its sonamed ‘land-reform programme’ – which alienates agricultural land from ‘white’ farmers and hands it to black tribal communities who have no experience nor knowledge of commercial farming – the regime continues to force white farmers off the country’s scarce agricultural land. At the moment only less than one percent of the country’s total land surface is still being food-cropped as a  result of this self-destructive policy – black farming communities usually fail to produce excess food for the commercial market within three months to a year of being given these alienated farms – for free. The news broadcast noted that "Mr Damas had  refused to sell up and was determined to remain on the farm." Apparently his body is already scheduled for shipment to Belgium. http://www.radiopretoria.co.za

related links:

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20100228 Hennie Botes (74) attacked on smallholding in Ritchie Free State

 RITCHIE. – Injured elderly Afrikaner smallholder Hennie Botes had to wait for 90 minutes for police to show up after he was stabbed in the head by an intruder at his Free State smallholding outside Ritchie on Friday-night, reports Jana Engelbrecht of Volksblad.

Botes Hennie Ritchie smallholding attack Feb282010Botes – who has very few valuables -- said he was asleep when he heard a noise on Friday evening and when he opened the security door between his bedroom and the rest of the house – all the lights were on. “I knew somebody was in the house. All the cupboards were opened up and the house was ransacked’. It’s not reported whether anything was stolen – but the suspect was also injured by broken glass while fleeing and besides leaving behind his DNA on the window-pane he’d also left behind his shoes, jacket and knife. Moreover he was recognised as a local man by his victim.

The elderly smallholder walked outside to investigate and then locked the door behind him with his keys when he went back inside: and only then he’d noticed that someone was hiding underneath the table.

“I ignored him - pretending he wasn’t there.’ he said. He then fetched a garden spade and confronted the stranger – asking him to get out from underneath. “Tut then he beat me and threw a milk-can at me.’  Then the man grabbed a knife and stabbed Botes several times in his head before breaking a window and climbing through it to flee.  “There was blood everywhere. The man’s hair was stuck to the broken window-pane’ said the old man.

However his ordeal had only started then: he tried phoning the Modderrivier SAPS three times – and got no response at all there. “I phoned my son and after a long 90 minute wait – I was bleeding all the time – the police showed up.’

Botes believes that the knifeman was a local man – he’d seen him around in Ritchie. “His shoes, knife and his jacket were also found in my homestead but the SAPS didn’t bother to even investigate these and didn’t take them along. My son had to phone them asking them to fetch the evidence.”

Police superintendent Sam Sesing, confirmed that there ‘was a problem with the telephones at Modder-rivier police station’. He said the son of Botes’ neighbour had driven to the police station to report the crime and he went back to the Botes smallholding with two police officers – however 'by the time they had arrived the suspect had already fled..’’  - Unsurprisingly no-one was arrested: despite the fact that the attacker had injured himself during his escape – leaving behind DNA-evidence; besides the fact that the man had also left behind his shoes and jacket; and despite the fact that the man was recognised by the smallholder is someone from Ritchie. All police have to do is to find a shoeless, jacketless known local man with a fresh injury. http://www.volksblad.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/2114/9d8a9ea72611432988bf537b55b7cdf8/02-03-2010-12-29/Kleinhoeweboer_aangeval

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Afrikaners targetted in pogrom: YouTube video

http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=aEUQx—fV54

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Rioters calmed down in Boiphatong by one lone cop

PoliceInspectorPeterSmithConvincedBoipatongRiotersToStopThrowingStonesMarch12010Beeld Sonja van Buul of Beeld newspaper – who also took this picture below -- writes that this lone SAPS inspector, Peter Smit,  yesterday singlehandedly calmed down hundreds of angry stone-throwing protestors in Boipatong township in the Vaal Triangle on Monday-morning – and then walked ahead of them; leading them in a calm and orderly protest parade to discuss their grievances with municipal officials.

The residents were once again protesting against the very poor municipal services in their area. Up to Smit’s arrival the SAPS members then on hand had been retaliating by firing rubber bullets at the Boipatong residents and matters were getting angrier by the minute, writes Van Buul.

Boiphatong township has a deeply sad history: It was the scene of the ‘Boiphatong massacre on June 22 1992” during a large march of tens of thousands of members of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania - when police and rioters clashed in three diverging groups in front of the local brewery  – and so viciously that Judge Richard Goldstone held an official enquiry into the horrific events which occurred. I spent six weeks at the Vereeniging court room during this hearing as a journalist for the South African Press Assocation – filing frequent updates over the telephone with a new innovation: a Tandy laptop computer. Goldstone Hearings on Violence in Boiphateng  http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/d301bfdc075e4b47837069d58cc361c3/01-03-2010-11-11/Toe_verskyn_%E2%80%99n_man_wat_kalm_bly

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2010-03-01 Marius Stadler (31) knifed to death: his body lay for hours in Bloemfontein street.

Stadler Marius 31 murdered Bloemfontein body lay on street for hours Stadler Marius 31 murdered Bloemfontein March12010 Thirty-one-year-old cabinet-maker Marius Stadler ‘s stabbed body was found at around 5am on a Willows, Bloemfontein street on Sunday - and then laid on the street for hours on Sunday-morning, waiting for the coroner’s hearse to arrive. (picture right from Volksblad)

Police believe it was just another ordinary ‘robbery’ although Mr Stadler’s driver’s license and the contents of his wallet were strewn around his body. He was found with stab-wounds in his back on the corner of Parfitt- and Victoria Roads in Willows. His dad Pierre said his son, wife and four friends had gone to a restaurant/pub that Saturday-evening. He told Volksblad journalist Earl Coetzee his son had briefly stepped out to buy cigarettes – and had never returned. 

His wife Tharina and his friends mounted a search for him and were enroute to report his disappearance to the local police station when a passing police patrol informed them that the police were looking for the relatives of a murdered man. Then the long wait started for the coroner’s hearse to arrive. Meanwhile Stadler’s body lay on the sidewalk all that time with people walking to church eventually even throwing a blanket over the murdered Afrikaner man’s body. A group of pupils had also walked past. Police superintendent Annelie Wrensch confirmed the murder. His shocked widow Tharina had difficulty in accepting the news that he was dead, Volksblad reports. “We weren’t even married for a year,’ she said. They would have celebrated their first anniversary on May 2. They had no children. http://www.volksblad.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/2114/9b669577fdda44ddbbba37d82a44dfaf/01-03-2010-05-42/Lyk_van_vermoorde_man_l%C3%AA_ure_op_sypaadjie_in_Bfn

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2010-03-01 Dundee teacher Mr Kosie Els murdered just after withdrawing his life’s savings from bank

Els Koos teacher Dannhauser murdered after drawing cash at ABSA Utrecht March12010 DUNDEE. Radio Pretoria reports on March 1 2010 that a Dundee teacher at the Bergsig school in Dannhauser, Kosie Els, -- picture left - was shot dead shortly after he had withdrawn R140,000 in cash from a local bank – his life’s savings after he had just sold his house. Mr Els was a popular teacher at the Bergsig school for disabled pupils, they report.  “Police suspect he was followed from the bank”. Mr Els  was driving away in his car with a woman friend just outside town when he was pulled over by a car with a number of gunmen and was shot at point-blank in the face. The gunmen then accosted Mr Els' woman-friend and demanded that she 'hand over the cash'. The attackers then drove away – but not before they fired another shot into Mr Els’ body.  They just wanted to make certain that he was dead. http://www.radiopretoria.co.za

A Facebook page for the the murdered teacher has been set up in his name.

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PAC Facebook site still threats to kill whites- on June 16:

Boniswa Ngcukana

Meanwhile the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania’s Facebook site has this following new posting from  a female member who refers to herself as  Boniswa Ngcukana --  “We will retaliate for the countless massacres Sharpville, Soweto, Langa etc. and last but not least the Umtata massacres where five unarmed kids aged between 12 - 17yrs old. You will feel what we felt. If you wanna be safe start packing your bags bloody settlers. I can't wait for June 16. Feb282010 09:22 pm. ·http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&id=673033379#!/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=7545711430 The PAC-facebook page hit the headlines recently for its rabid anti-white hatespeech and its incitement to murder all whites. Last week the chairman had promised to have the offending messages removed – yet clearly they are just ignoring warnings by AfriForum that they will be sued in a court of law. http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/02/radical-islamists-incite-sa-blacks-to.html

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20100226 Farm manager Paul Dunn, 49, murdered on citrus farm Constantia, Letsitele Limpopo

Dunn Paul 49 farm manager Limpopo Constantia Citrus murdered Feb282010 Letsitele, Limpopo farm manager Paul Dunn, 49, was murdered in during a gunfight inside his homestead on the Constantia Citrus farm holdings on February 26 2010. There had been numerous breakins and vehicle thefts in the area over the past ten days. Mr Dunn reportedly did not go down without a fight: he fired two shots which struck his murderer before he was shot dead inside his homestead. Neighbouring farmers searched the area with a helicopter and  a man was caught a few hours after, and from information he supplied they apprehended a second one and the third is still on the loose. also view the Name list of murdered rural residents in South Africa since 1987 – updated March 1 2010 .

News censorship: The first news agency to report the murder was Radio Pretoria that same day. However it was only reported by Beeld newspaper on March 2 2010. That’s mainly due to the fact that the SA news media is severely restricted: they are only allowed to publish reports about such murders and other violent crimes until they have received ‘official confirmation’ from the provincial SAPS spokesman. This censorship-rule is enforced due to the ‘negative publicity’ in the runup to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa in June. Beeld article:  Woede oor nóg plaasmoorde

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2010-02-20 Colleen van Eck, 59, Sun City public relations manager, beaten and strangled -  Rustenburg tourist flat

Four others released by court after Sun City murder -- Police arrested a fifth black man – all the way in the Free State -- for the mysterious murder of 59-year-old Colleen van Eck, the Afrikaner woman who had worked for many years as the hugely popular public-relations manager of the Sun City tourism and  gambling-resort in Rustenburg in North West province. This is also the venue for the English football team and –fans attending the World Cup 2010 football tournament in South Africa in June.

The PR-manager ‘s cruel murder shook the entire South African tourism industry to the core – also because of its cruelty: she had apparently not only be beaten but also thrown hard against the wall of her flat before she was strangled.  and local politicians announced in dramatic statements to the news media that they would  ‘do everything possible to find the culprits.’ Police superintendent Lesogo Metso said on Sundan that the latest arrested 28-year-old suspect's fingerprints ‘matched those found on the crime scene’. It’s strange: he was arrested a long distance away – in Bothaville in the Free State. However he has been posively linked as to the murder of Mrs Van Eck – who lived alone, police said. The man had apparently worked as a gardener for the black-economic-empowerment company which maintains Sun City’s dramatic, huge gardens and water-features. Apparently the only item stolen from her Sun City flat had been her cellphone, police said. Four people were arrested earlier – they had been in possession of Van Eck's cellphone -  in the town Ledig, a township near Sun City.They appeared briefly in court but not charged with anything – and merely released on a warning to appear in court later. No evidence was found linking them directly to the murder police claimed (except the cellphone). Police said their arrest however had led directly to the arrest of the man in Bothaville whose fingerprints were found on the scene, Metsi said. It is uncertain if anything other than Van Eck's cellphone was stolen, Metsi said. The man will appear in the Mogwase Magistrate's Court on Monday on a charge of murder. - Sapa http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20100227143738257C900677

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Uwe Gemballa German businessman missing in Johannesburg South Africa2010-02-09 German businessman Uwe Gemballa of Stuttgart – allegedly kidnapped in Johannesburg – and company applies for insolvency… the plot thickens

2010-03-02 Johannesburg - Local and German police were working together in the search for a German businessman who has been officially notifies as having been kidnapped on 9 February - shortly after arriving at South Africa  ‘s Johannesburg International Airport. "We are working closely together with German police on the investigation," said SAPS Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo.  Two German police officers were in South Africa to help find the businessman who disappeared after he arrived at Johannesburg International Airport shortly after his arrival. It has now been revealed that Gemballa’s wife has applied for insolvency in the Ludwigsburg law court.

And it has also been reported that Gemballa’s premises in Stuttgart last week were sealed by the German police. German news source Bild reported that his wife had received a phone call from her husband’s mobile phone demanding €1 million ransom for his release. “The call apparently went dead and she has been unable to reach Uwe since. Bild say that Interpol are investigating. On February 18 that it was confirmed officially that Uwe Gemballa was kidnapped in South Africa and is being held to ransom. Gemballa’s company’s offices have been sealed on the orders of the German government. http://www.carsuk.net/gemballa-closed-by-german-authorities/#ixzz0gvUxAN23

Gemballa is the Stuttgart-based owner and founder of Gemballa Porsche Conversions, which does conversions on Porsches and other super-deluxe sports cars across the globe. "All we know is [that] he contacted his wife on the 9th of February and he hasn't left South Africa. He is missing, basically," said Naidoo. Meanwhile German media reported that the Gemballa family had issued a €10,000 Euro reward for information that may lead to his rescue.The Sunday Times newspaper also reported a week ago that they had received information from sources close to the investigation that “several people had been questioned by police and were subsequently released”. The newspaper also suggested that an unnamed Czech Republic fugitive, a businessman who is believed to be in South Africa, may have been involved in Gemballa's disappearance. The Czech businessman had been convicted for fraud in absentia in the Czech Republic and the (then) Johannesburg High Court in 2005 had turned down his extradition application.German embassy spokesman Martin Schaefer referred all questions to the police. http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/40cab0cbdbd34ff5b333d53356338e56/21-02-2010-09-50/SA,_German_cops_search_for_missing_man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemballa

In an Update on the Gemballa company website – it was revealed that Mrs Gemballa has applied for Insolvency at the Ludwigsburg Court –. They wrote: “We were tipped off yesterday by a guy who knows Uwe Gemballa well. He wanted to be careful not to imply anything with the information he gave us and urged us to imply nothing ourselves when we published his information. He also urged us to check out the information for ourselves. So we dug out the Cars UK credit card and did a search of recently registered German Companies. And what we found confirmed what he had told us. In December a new Gemballa company was registered. It’s called GEMBALLA Sports Cars GmbH & Co. KG. There appears to be just one shareholder – the 79 year old mother of Uwe Gemballa,  Edith Maria Margaretha Gemballa-Jauss, who appears to have chipped in €1,000.

“The last time the company records were updated was 5/2/2010. Just before Uwe Gemballa went to South Africa. As we said, we are simply publishing this information in case it has any relevance to the situation. We’d like to believe it doesn’t.  The document is a matter of public record. And we’ve saved you a few bob in case you were wanting to look it up. There is news coming in on the German DPA news wire that the main Gemballa company has applied to the German courts for an insolvency order. The news wire says: The court in Ludwigsburg said a law firm representing Gemballa’s wife had applied for insolvency. She had a power of attorney from her husband. A provisional insolvency administrator had been appointed.Which rather vindicates the stories we ran on Gemballa being closed by the German authorities and our assertion that cars had been impounded. The plot thickens.Read more: http://www.carsuk.net/gemballa-new-company-formed-in-december-update-gemballa-insolvent/#ixzz0h2FEYtMu

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 2010-02-10 Mr Vinoth Kumar Vallinayagam, computer engineer from India - killed mercilessly during contract-job in Pretoria
Indian computer engineer killed mercilessly

February 10 2010 – PRETORIA Reported on the website “Report a Crime SA”" - Mr. Vinoth Kumar Vallinayagam went on an IT project from India to South Africa on Dec 17. He was working for the Utkarsh company in India - and his client was T-Systems in South Africa. He was supposed to return to India on Feb 11 but he was missing from Feb10, his family writes on Report A Crime: “

We were informed that the local police traced the dead body of Vinoth in a mortuary near Pretoria. It is very disappointing that a person who went to South Africa for his career growth as well as for the growth of the company in South Africa was murdered for just a few hundred dollars by some heartless people. He would have even gifted that money to the killer if he was in need of money. Our family is in deep grief we have lost someone who was very dear to us. We are bringing this to public so that everyone is aware of what is happening in this world around us...” the original story is on “Report A Crime “: http://www.reportacrime.co.za/CrimeReport.aspx?ID=189

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2010-02-25 Pieter van Niekerk (40) shot dead with five shots, Geduld, Springs

Niekerk van Pieter 40 murdered Springs Feb262010 Beeld February 25 2010 - Pieter van Niekerk (40) was shot and killed with five shots by robbers in Geduld, Springs. ‘He leaves two little girls – Stella (11) and Landi (6).  Mr van Niekerk was gunned down while trying to help the victim of a car-jacking at around 20:00.

Van Niekerk and his fiancee Ms Madeleine Cole (45) were enroute home when they saw  a woman run down Retief Street in Geduld screaming: “Help, help” and men running away. Mr van Niekerk chased one down the road in his car, stopped next to the man and shouted: ‘what the f..k are you doing?” The man turned around and fired six shots – he was hit by five. Ms Cole said one of the shots went through Mr Van Niekerk’s body and scraped her hand. The couple were all set to move into his mom’s home yesterday. Ms Cole managed to jump from the car but she turned around – and saw how the man dragged Mr Van Niekerk’s from the car and chase off with it. She said at that stage it looked as if he was still alive. Paramedics tried to revive him but he died on the scene. His mom Doreen (87) is in shock reports Beeld. Van Niekerk was the youngest of her 16 children. One of his brothers Pieter told the newspaper his brother was always trying to h elp people. “that’s how he was. He always wanted to help and never failed to do so. We are very angry’. Police inspector Tommy Tomlinson confirmed that no-one had been arrested as yet. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/60aae6c8485e429f8207b2dfc26b72f8/27-02-2010-05-54/Hy_wou_help_en_toe_skiet_kaper_hom

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2010-02-27 ‘4 strong guys’ beat 69-year-old Leon Pistorius of Gezina with pick-axe handle

February 27 2010 – 69-year-old Leon Pistorius of Gezina in Pretoria was attacked by four armed robbers – who brutally beat up the elderman man with a pick-axe handle at his daughter’s house. 

Virginia Keppler reports that he also was badly scratched on his arms and left badly bruised. Two of the suspects were arrested by three police teams from Sunnyside; Die Moot and Eersterust police stations. Pistorius said he arrived just before 1pm at daughter Heidie van Gass’ house to pick up his grandson Werner (9) and saw a white Renault Clio parked in the driveway. “The gate was ajar and I was just squeezing myself through it with my ‘fat belly’ whenIhe saw a group of men busy at the garage messing about with a pick-axe.” He still didn’t suspect anything: “I thought there were problems with the electricity and that the gate didn’t open for that reason,’ he said. He let himself in at the front door and then walked through the house back to the garage. That’s when he realised they were up to no good – and asked them: “what the hell are you doing here” when he saw the men. He was grabbed at once: “they were strong blokes,’ he said. “They grabbed my arms, robbed me of R2,080, my watch and cellphoned and threatened to kill me if I didn’t lay still.” He didn’t notice a firearm on them he said. He said he lay still until they left in his bakkie as well as the Clio. Meanwhile Mrs Van Gass’ neighbours had alerted her about the fact that her electric gate and garage-door were wide-open – and she immediately phoned a woman friend who worked at a police station.The three police teams which were alerted noted the bakkie near Eersterust and started chasing it. In Isaac avenue the suspects jumped from the bakkie and tried to run away – however the local community teamed up with the cops and captured two of the men. Mr Pistorius’ bakkie and most of the stolen goods from the robbery were found back said constable Sam Shibambo.http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/3bf48679bbc1499d808e8ed103d91ddc/27-02-2010-05-45/%E2%80%98Sterk_knape%E2%80%99__slaan_man_(69)_met_houtpiksteel

2010-02-27 Six-year-old Martha Radebe of Thabong - stabbed six times – for only Eight Rand..

2010-02-27 Welkom – Six-year-old Martha Radebe – a first-grader at Lehakwe Primary in Thabong township, Welkom, was stabbed at least six times and robbed of the R8 (about 80 cents) which her mom had given her to buy cooldrink with. Tom de Wet of Volksblad reports that the little girl is in critical condition at the local Oppenheimer hospital. The attack against the little girl took place at around 7:30pm. The child was stabbed in her body and legs. Her mom went searching for the girl when she stayed away too long. Mrs Emelia Radebe said she found her girl standing in the street – bloodied and with her intestines hanging from gaping wounds. She collapsed when she saw her mom.  Radebe said a neighbouring woman stopped someone driving past and they rushed the child to hospital. There shortly before she lost consciousness she told her mom and dad Joseph Radebe that ‘a man stabbed her with a knife to take her money’.Family says it’s inconceivable that no-one had seen anything. “The street is very busy that time of the early evening with people arriving from work or going to the tuck shop,’ she said. There was no formal comment from police. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/1a36ea85c0fd45a7bed5556eef901927/27-02-2010-05-20/Rower_steek_sesjarige_meisie_ses_keer_vir_R8

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2010-02-24 Kerneels Cronje 83, critically injured, farm attack by eight armed men

    WELKOM. – The Volksblad reports from the Free State that 83-year-old Kerneels Cronje – from the farm Doorlaagte in the district – was seriously injured in an armed attack against the family near their homestead’s cattle-kraal by eight black men armed with three handguns who arrived in a yellow Isuzu-bakkie with a white top – pretending that they wanted to buy cattle.

    Cronjé was assaulted with a blunt object – probably an iron pipe. Police captain Stephen Thakeng said Cronjé and his farm worker  David Mei (30), walked to the kraal right next to the homestead with the ‘cattle-purchasers’ and were then assaulted and tied up. Then the eight male attackers walked to the homestead; assaulting and tying up the farmer’s wife and daughter, Anna (85) and Petro (53) inside. Some then walked back to the kraal to fetch the Afrikaner farmer – dragging the old man inside and beating him up severely with an iron bar. Meanwhile Mr Mei had managed to untie himself and ran to a neighbouring farm – and the neighbours called the police. Meanwhile the robbers got their hands on a key to the registered gun-safe and looted two pistols and an amount of cash before fleeing in their yellow Isuzu-bakkie.When the police arrived the two women were found tied up in the dining room and the critically injured Mr Cronjé was found in another room of the homestead. The elderly couple were taken to hospital – Mrs Cronjé was admitted for observation while her husband required emergency stabilisation and is reportedly still in critical condition at the Welkom hospital.  The investigating officer is SAPS insp. David Dlamini at tel. 082-455-6063 http://www.volksblad.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/2114/248511def1f14180979d35eb99911bbf/25-02-2010-04-53/Bejaarde_boer_ernstig_beseer_in_aanval

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    2010-02-25 Afrikaans dad removes son Armand Lotz from high school: headmaster can’t guarantee his safety

    Scholtz Arnold 16 beaten at NoordKaap High School Kimberley by pupils who steal food 2010-02-25  KIMBERLEY. – An irate dad has taken his grade-ten out of the Noord-Kaap High School in Kimberley because the headmaster was unable to guarantee the young Afrikaner’s safety. The youth – Armand Lotz - was badly beaten up by a large group of male pupils who had injured him so badly that he was unable to attend school for two days thereafter: breaking his nose, injuring an arm and beating both his eyes black and blue.

    The gang of bullies reportedly also regularly steal  food from the other pupils, said dad Leon Lotz. Armand was beaten up by the large group of youths right in front of his terrified mom Adéle, who was just fetching her son from school when she saw him being assaulted in the school grounds. What made matters even worse is that when she rushed over to a teacher demanding that the beating of her son must stop; she was told “not to become hysterical things like that just happen’. The youth’s nose was broken and his eyes were beaten black and blue – and proving that he was assaulted by more than one youth is the fact that he also had injuries on an arm. He was too injured to attend school and Mr Lotz said because the school head was unable to guarantee his son’s safety he’s now enrolled him in another school. He said many pupils have also reported that their lunch-boxes are stolen regularly by pupils who have formed a terror-squad. Headmaster Henk Brand said ‘the case is being investigated’ but as far he was concerned ‘the matter was closed: we have acted against ‘the other youth’ and he has been sent to the school’s psychologist for anger-management’. http://www.volksblad.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/2114/36cd0bcf7d9b417b83c2871d3a38a470/25-02-2010-04-53/Pa_haal_seun_uit_skool_in_stad_n%C3%A1_bakleiery_

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    2010-02-24 cyclist Neville Murray badly injured by vicious five-man gang in Durbanville

    Feb 24 2010 CAPE TOWN -- A white Durbanville cyclist suffered a fractured vertebra after a vicious attack by five men wielding iron bars - and left to crawl to safety along the busy N7 highway. Neville Murray, 57,  was looking forward to taking part in his 16th Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour this year and set out on a long ride early on Saturday. Speaking to the Cape Argus at his home yesterday, Murray said he was cycling along the N7 near Potsdam Road, opposite Van Schoorsdrift Road, when five men, believed to be aged between 18 and 25, accosted him.

    Cyclists in South Africa picture by Jacques Marais'They were very violent and tried to rip all my clothes off'

    "One of them grabbed the front of my bike and they threw me down on the tar. They had iron bars and hit me with them," he said. "They were very violent and tried to rip all my clothes off." Murray said the men had just pulled him to the middle of the busy main road when a truck stopped, and its driver and passengers came to his rescue. The five men fled on foot with a mere R150 (about $15) and a cellphone, but left Murray's bicycle. While the driver and his passengers gave chase, Murray, fearing the oncoming traffic and despite severe pain in his back, crawled to the side of the road.  More passing motorists, whom Murray called "road angels", stopped to assist, and an ambulance arrived 45 minutes later. He was taken to hospital and later learnt he had a fractured vertebra. He has to wear a back brace and will not be taking part in the Cycle Tour. Like Murray, thousands of cyclists across the city have been gearing up for the world's largest timed cycle event - the annual Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour, on March 14.  But several have been injured in ‘incidents’ in recent weeks, and organisers have made several appeals to motorists and cyclists “to be careful”. (!) Cyclist Ren Brand, 68, was hit by a “hit-and-run driver” on Saturday morning  and was told by doctors this week that his leg would have to be amputated. Earlier this month, Kelly Kosky's right leg was amputated after it was crushed by a truck. Brand and Kosky, 59, are members of the Recyclers Cycling Club. SAPS Inspector Erica Crous of the provincial police media office didn’t know anything about it  – commenting that ‘there is no record of the incident at any of the police stations close to the scene of the attack.“ However Murray said he gave all his details to the paramedics, who said they would hand them over to the police. Police are also appealing for information that could lead to identifying the motorist in the accident involving Brand. Call investigating officer Inspector David Steenkamp at 084 680 0114 or 021 784 2700 with any information. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20100224123314793C346400

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    Guard your children like gold – warn cops on cycle lecture tour between Krugersdorp and Durban

    West Rand cops on child-slavery awareness tour Krugersdorp to Durban arriving in Volksrust Theuns Botha picFive super-fit cops from the West Rand  cycled between Krugersdorp and Durban last week – to raise awaress in all the communities along the way of the growing dangers of child-sex slavery and kidnapping-gangs which now are very active in South Africa in preparation for the expected increase in ‘sex-tourism’ in the run-up to the World Cup 2010 football tournaments. The cops stop by at many local community centres on  their educational lecture tour to inform parents and teachers about the methods of child-kidnapping gangs who often hang around schools to spot opportunities . http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&ref=mf&gid=315554092986

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    2010-02-24 Edenvale man, 76 - stabbed to death at home

     24 February 2010 An unnamed 76-year-old man was found stabbed to death in his Edenvale home on Wednesday, paramedics said. Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said the man's neighbours contacted his family when they became concerned about his car being left out all night and at not seeing him during out the day."The family then contacted a security company who raced to the Gannet Avenue residence."He was found in a pool of blood on the lounge floor. Paramedics could not save him because of the extent of his injuries," Botha said. Police were not immediately available for comment. - Sapa http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20100224174858349C752480

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    Cape Town doctors terrified of working in Cape Flats

    Doctors practising in parts of the Cape Flats near Cape Town say they work in fear and are being "targeted" by criminals. Speaking after a spate of robberies and burglaries at surgeries, doctors said they felt "vulnerable" and were concerned about being seen as "soft targets".  Although no one had been killed or injured, doctors said a lot of money had been lost in stolen equipment and supplies.

    • In the most recent robbery, a Nyanga doctor was robbed at gunpoint on Saturday afternoon. Four robbers posing as patients entered the doctor's rooms. "One kept the receptionist busy while two entered the doctor's room," Nyanga police Captain Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi said. "They pointed the firearm at the doctor, demanded cash and took a cellphone." The doctor, who did not want to be named, told of his fear of working in the area.

    “Doctors provide a service to underprivileged communities- but crime is driving them out’…

    "It was very scary, but I feel relieved they didn't hurt me.I know it's not only doctors who are affected by this problem. It happens everywhere... even people walking on the streets are held at gunpoint or knifepoint. I'm still very shaken by the incident and I fear for my life. Doctors operate in fear... you just don't know when they will strike again or whether you will get home alive." He believes doctors are considered "soft targets". "I know of two doctors down the road who were held at gunpoint last year and the year before," he said.

    A doctor who practises in Lansdowne Road, Philippi, said a neighbouring doctor's surgery had been burgled four times last year. "Doctors are here to provide a service to underprivileged communities, but I'm afraid crime is going to drive them out of the area," he said. "People are getting really scared. I think police need to take this seriously and give us some kind of protection."

    • Just after Christmas Day at site NY102 Gugulethu, a doctor's surgery was cleaned out by burglars just after Christmas Day. Not only were medical supplies and equipment stolen, but also a computer, a television set, a fridge, and office furniture.  The burglars also smashed a fish tank, killing the fish.
    • February 14 2010 at Dr Dhevan Naidoo's surgery at the Kuwait Taxi Rank in Site C, Khayelitsha, burglars broke in through a window and stole a box of medicine, a television set, diagnostic kits, a nebuliser, fax machine, and other items. Khayelitsha police spokeswoman Captain Anneke van der Vyver however dismissed suggestions that robberies and burglaries at doctors' surgeries ‘were spiralling out of control’ In fact she claims just the opposite: ‘Police could not recall robberies or a high number of burglaries at doctor's rooms in the Khayelitsha police precinct", she said. Full Story...

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    Woman fights back against robber - with a lamp

    February 18 2010 Beeld. When an armed man entered her bedroom, Hester Kok, then aged 68, shouted and threw her bedside lamp at the intruder. The man quickly retreated. However, seconds later her son-in-law was shot nine times as he fought off the attackers in the family's Pretorius Park home. The robbers fired about 20 shots down the passage on that night in April 2008 – seriously injuring her son-in-law Jannie Fourie. This was the evidence presented to the Pretoria Regional Court, writes Beeld journalist Hanti Otto.

    Charged with two charges of attempted murder, aggravating robbery and firearms charges are Romeo Maota Nkwagatse, 24, and Jonas Masemola, 27. they pleaded not guilty. A comrade - Ephraim Mawela Msimango  -- was also arrested, but escaped. Kok told the Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday that she woke at about 1.30am on April 15 to close her bedroom window. Then she went back to bed. "The next moment I heard my bedroom door slowly opening. I saw the silhouette of a man in the light through the window. He had a cap on, pointing a firearm at my face. "I shouted and threw the bedside lamp at him. He went out of the door," Kok, who turned 70 last week, recalled. She got out of bed and locked the door. "Then I heard several shots in the passage. I feared that my whole family was shot."  However, when her son-in-law Jannie Fourie called her, she opened the door. "He lay on the floor, there was blood everywhere. But I thanked the Lord when I realised everyone was still alive."  Although it was dark and she could not see the attacker too clearly, Kok said he had the "same piercing eyes" as Msimango. The attackers only took Fourie's cellphone and his wallet which had R90 (about $9)  in it. The trial continues in April. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20100218062941367C155013

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    2010-02-22 Eighty-year-old Margareth Ross survives knifing inside her Sedgefield, George home

    2010-02-22 Tisha Steyn reports from the Garden Route town of George that an elderly resident of Kingfisher Avenue Mrs Margareth Ross, 80, was attacked by ‘a person’ who stabbed her repeatedly with a knife while she was in bed. Mrs Ross managed to turn on an alarm despite her serious injuries and alerted the security services. Ambulance personnel found her seriously injured in her bed and rushed her to a private hospital in Knysna. She ‘s in ‘serious but stable’ condition police said. It’s not known if anything was robbed. Police offer a reward for anyone who can provide information and citizens are asked to contact det-insp Neville “Boet” Olc­kers at tel.  044 802 1626, or 083 683 8858 http://www.dieburger.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1708/0662fe852c384209b374ae26f4471b42/22-02-2010-11-41/Bejaarde_vrou_(80)_oorleef_mesaanval_in_Sedgefield

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    2010-02-23 Father and son O’Friel survive shooting at New Redruth; Alberton home

    2010-02-23 Wolfram Zweckler reports that home-owner Garth O’Friel of Alberton heard his 16-year-old son Brendan being shot by armed robbers who broke into his home at around 6am. “I just heard Brendan scream: ‘Get off me, get off me’, and then the shot went off,’ said O’Friel. “As I was running down the hallway one of the attackers shot towards me but missed. However just before I was able to close the bedroom door on them -  one of their shots hit my fiancee in the chest.’ Ms Bernardine le Roux (30) and the teenaged boy were rushed to hospital by ambulance for underwent emergency surgery. O’Friel said according to neighbours and neighbourhood-watch members two armed men were seen fleeing in a white Opel Monza. And the only thing they stole was a flatscreen-TV. Police captain Makana Rahulu said they were still searching for two men. Police also said that during an armed COIN-security van robbery a security guard of Builders’ Warehouse in Boksburg was shot in the leg at around 10am on the same day. Nobody else was injured. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/8ea41b5f2676415593f8a450a3923350/23-02-2010-01-13/Hy_hoor_eers_gille,_toe_%E2%80%99n_skoot

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    2010-02-23 … more elderly whites murdered at their homes by armed attackers

    ANTI-BOER HATESPEECH BY SASCO STUDENT UNIVERSITY FREE STATE 2009 The wave of murders targetting white South African pensioners continued over the weekend with three more people murdered inside their homes since Friday. At least nine elderly whites have been murdered since January this year – all in armed attacks inside their homes. Also - an Afrikaner policeman is fighting for his life in hospital after he was shot down at his Kilnerpark home on Saturday-night and the body of a young missing Afrikaner man Cliff Jooste was found floating in the Vaal river. The latest three victims of the wave of attacks against white pensioners were Mr and Mrs Booysen -- ambushed on Friday at their peri-urban home in the Tinmyne living quarters compound about 2km outside Mokopane: they were stoned to death by two men who had been waiting for them to return from shopping; also murdered that day was a Polish immigrant who had fled his homeland during the communist-era --  Jerzy (George) Kanienski (60). The water-quality engineer for the Department of Water Affairs was murdered after he was tied up in his Eldoraigne home. He has lived in South Africa for 25 years. He’s divorced and had no children.

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    Theunis and Suzie Venter Feb112010 mutilated tortured to death Pretoria homeSummary: Two weeks earlier Theunis and Suzie Venter were found terribly mutilated in their Pretoria home on FebruarBotha Kitty 83 Lyttelton Jan282010 MurderedHouseTorchedy 11 2010. ; Dr. Francois Steenkamp (71) a retired cardiologist was murdered in the Newlands Park retirement community a week before that – his head was crushed in. On 25 January Mrs Elsa Blignaut was found choked to death just two days after her 83rd birthday in her bed in New Muckleneuk; on 13 January Ria van den Bergh (65) was murdered in broad daylight in her home in Hermanstad; on 8 January Mrs Kitty Botha  picture right - aged 83; was beaten to death in her Lyttelton Centurion home and then her living room was torched with her inside; and in November 2009 retired SAPS colonel Piet Swemmer 89, was gruesomely beaten to death with a hammer in his Waterkloof Rift home. And on February 12 slate-quarry owner Bert von Brandis and wife Gail were badly injured in an axe attack while they were asleep at their Groot Marico Broekmansfontein farm house.

    On Friday the Polish engineer’s hands were tied up with connector-cables and he had stab-wounds across his body said police. Mr Kanienski’s body was discovered by his gardener said Captain Louise Reed. The SAPS suspects that he was already murdered late-afternoon on Friday. Strangely although they could have plundered his entire home only his camera and two handguns are missing. His only relative in South Africa – his niece Johanna Fidos said she had last spoken to him the Thursday before his murder. And police Supt. Ronel Otto said from Limpopo province that the Booysen-couple had gone shopping on Friday and were murdered by at least two armed attackers at their home – after the couple’s employees had been tied up inside the house earlier. Nóg 3 bejaardes in huise vermoor in vlaag van aanvalle

     

    2010-02-23 ex-Springbok ‘s policeman brother fighting for his life after house-robbery

    2010-02-23 Ex Springbok-athlete Evette de Klerk ‘s policeman-brother who was shot in Pretoria during an armed ambush at his home still is not out of danger: he contracted an infection of the colon after an emergency operation to remove a bullet from his stomach. The unnamed SAPS captain is stationed at the national headquarters in Pretoria and was shot Saturday-night at his home in Kilnerpark. He had just returned home with his eight-year-old daughter at around midnight when he was shot. His eleven-year-old son wasn’t present: the youngster was on a sleepover with a friend. The policeman’s identity is kept a secret because his wife greatly fears for the family’s safety if their identity became known said SAPS captain Eugene Opperman. He said the family was terribly traumatised. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/9b094ce87a1f48e09dddc15c994d607f/23-02-2010-12-14/Oud-Springbok_se_broer_veg_om_lewe_n%C3%A1_skietery

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    Unnamed man survives armed attack at Boschkop smallholding Pretoria

    Johannesburg – An unnamed smallholder is in critical condition after he was shot at his smallholding in Boschkop near Pretoria on Wednesday-evening around 11pm. Chris Botha of Netcare 911 paramedics said it was suspected that the man had investigated a noise on the first floor of his home and was gunned down by armed attackers. The man apparently had fired back and the ‘burglars’ had fled.  ‘Paramedics stabilised him at the scene and then rushed to hospital for further treatment;’ said Botha. http://www.nuus24.com%252FContent%252FSuid-Afrika%252FNuus%252F1479%252F3e34a68bbd794412b5e688065464b208%252F21-01-2010-04-36%252FMan_op_kleinhoewe_geskiet&h=b490cf03f907eb09b07d1dcea2986e74&ref=mf

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    2010-02-22 Afrikaner man Cliff Jooste, 29, found floating in Vaal river by hotel guests
    2010-02-22  RIVERSIDE HOTEL - Retha Grobbelaar writes in Beeld newspapers that horrified guests who were relaxing on the perfectly manicured  lawn of the Riverside hotel next to the Vaal River got the fright of their lives: they saw the body of 29-year-old Afrikaner resident Cliff Jooste float past. They immediate phoned the police. Police inspector Kinnie Steyn said the dead man was identified almost immediately by family on Friday-afternoon. They’d last seen him on Thursday-afternoon and had notified him as missing at around one oc’clock. It’s unclear what the cause of death is as yet – the post-mortem results should clear up whether he’d drowned or was murdered. Family said they were unable to understand how he could have ended up in the river. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/26a75fa394cc4419aaafc2fbfd56f401/22-02-2010-02-03/Hotelgaste_sien_lyk_in_Vaal_dryf_
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    2010-02-26 Limpie Vermaak, 35 executed just after murderer tells wife: ‘I won’t shoot you and the kids’

    "Don’t worry. I wont’ shoot you and the kids’, said the murderer of 35-year-old Bloemfontein man Limpie Vermaak – just after he had fired a shot through the head of the young father on Saturday night. Vermaak died at hospital. Jacqueline van Zyl, his fiancee and mother of his five-year-old daughter JayC-Lee said the couple had been visiting her girlfriend’s townhouse in Bloemfontein to help her hang up curtains. The girlfriend was in the middle of a divorce and her jealous husband apparently mistook Vermaak for an imaginary ‘lover’. Jacqueline said when she and her daughter were in the bathroom she heard her girlfriend screaming: “Go out go out’ and then I heard a man say: ‘Limpie what the fk are you doing here. Are you having an affair with my wife?” Then she heard the shot and heard the man tell her girlfriend: “Are you happy now? Don’t worry. I won’t shoot you and the kids..’ The gunman then climbed into his car and chased off – pursued by her girlfriend. When Jacqueline rushed to her fiancee’s side he was on the floor in a large puddle of blood. She said that a day later she had ‘looked into the eyes of the man who’d shot my fiancee’ – when police took him to a neighbour’s house where he pointed out the location of the suspected murder weapon; he’d thrown it into a fish-pond next door. “The only thing he said was that he was terribly sorry,’ said Ms Van Zyl. http://www.volksblad.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/2114/637e58879c3240ea83abcb8da4a1a2cc/23-02-2010-05-52/Bfn-man_se_verloofde_praat_oor_sy_skietdood

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    2010-02-14 Afrikaner couple Alice and Jack Botha (75) badly beaten up by thugs: Alice is dead -  Jack is critical

    Distraught Benoni resident José Vieira was photographed last Sunday placing flowers at the Ninth Avenue Northmead home of the unarmed, elderly Afrikaans couple who were brutally battered by a group of black men on Friday-night. 75-year-old Mrs Alice Botha was bludgeoned to death and Mr Jack Botha – also 75 - now is in critical condition at the Union Hospital in Alberton.

    Botha Alice 75 bludgeoned to death husband Jack serious Feb142010 neighboursMr Vieira is a friend of the couple’s daughter Antoinette Jannecke and the two had come across the shocking scene when they returned from a movie at around 11pm.  The friend had still briefly grappled with an unknown man in the garden -  who had come strolling casually from a room of the murder-scene as if he owned the place. However Vieira let the ‘unresisting’  stranger go when he heard Alice screaming inside:  she’d just discovered the body of her mother in the hallway: the old Afrikaans lady’s head was bashed in.

    The picture of the flowers at the gate was taken by Bongiwe Gumede of Beeld newspaper – with journalists René-Jean van den Berg and Wolfram Zwecker reporting on February 15 2010 that the murderers of Mrs Alice Botha were still at large.

    SAPS constable Ron Nchali told Beeld that “an unknown number of people attacked the couple inside their home.” He didn’t say anything at all about a police unit trying to hunt them down either. And his colleague constable Godin Nyathi also said that they weren’t sure whether anything was stolen as yet: a plastic bag with cellphones and jewellery was picked up in the garden...“Vieira said when they arrived at 11pm the garage door was open and there was blood on the door knob. “It was all so very strange. Antoinette was first into the house and found her father injured on the floor of the kitchen. A strange man then came walking from one of the rooms and strolled through the kitchen and exited the back door – acting ‘as if he had the fullest right to be inside’ he said.  Vieira grabbed the guy outside and briefly grappled with him in the dark backyard in an attempt to arrest him – but then Vieira got distracted by Antoinette – “who started screaming hysterically’ he said. “I then realised that she was alone in the house. I ran inside and let the man run away;http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/cf20554f4e1a4c6888c4c6d53e1acb52/15-02-2010-11-37/Bejaarde_vrou_in_Benoni_vermoor,_man_beseer

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    2010-02-11 Elderly Theunis and Suzie Venter - found terribly mutilated in  Pretoria home.

    Feb 19 2010 - Beeld journalist Hilda Fourie reports that before the gruesome murder of the Venter couple; Dr. Francois Steenkamp (71) a retired cardiologist was also murdered in the Newlands Park retirement community a week earlier – his head was crushed in. On 25 January Mrs Elsa Blignaut was found choked to death two days after her 83rd birthday in her bed in New Muckleneuk; on 13 January Ria van den Bergh (65) was murdered in broad daylight in her home in Hermanstad; on 8 January Mrs Kitty Botha aged 83; was beaten to death in her Lyttelton Centurion home and then her living room was torched with her inside; and in November 2009 retired SAPS colonel Piet Swemmer 89, was gruesomely beaten to death with a hammer in his Waterkloof Rift home.

    The Venter couple’s grandson Hein Engelbrecht (33) came across their bodies just a week after their 59th wedding anniversary. Forensic examinations show that they must have died twelve hours earlier. Mr Venter – who was beaten very badly – was lying on his stomach in the living room. Mrs Venter – who struggled to walk after she’d head a stroke earlier in the year – was found choked to death in the hallway. They were in their eighties and unarmed. Some minor items are missing from the house – the murderers only took a playstation 2 and one DVD – their old VW combi with the number plates KMC 163 GP is missing – probably just taken to escape in.  Hein lives with his grandparents on the corner of Louis Trichardt Street and Mortimer Avenue opposite Mayville Primary School. He parked his motorbike on the grass and immediately stormed inside – realising that something was badly wrong: the gate and the security gate barring access to the stoop were wide-open and the Combi was missing from the car-port. The couple’s Boerboel was so badly beaten and kicked that she didn’t move from underneath the kitchen table until the police forensic team had finished its examinations. Granddaughter Yvette Engelbrecht (29) was in tears. She said they didn’t want to go to a retirement home. “My granddad always said they would die in a retirement home “ she said. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/9c6414212e064fa590f6e9c05075f510/12-02-2010-01-26/6_Weke,_6_moorde

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    2010-02-12 Bert and Gail von Brandis - badly injured in axe attack Groot Marico Broekmansfontein farm house

    2010-02-12 Alta Snyman of Beeld newspaper reports that only two days after the owner of a slate-quarry had told a Potchefstroom SAPS police superintendent that ‘the police would only pay attention to residents’ worries after something terrible has happened’ -- 54-year-old Ben von Brandis and his wife Gail 50 were attacked in their sleep at their Broekmansfontein farm house in Groot Marico. The couple were asleep at 4am when men broke through their security locks; tore off the gate and stormed in with axes. They threatened to rape Mrs Von Brandis and tried to tear off her clothes – but were unable to.

    They then decided to torture the poor woman by dripping heated plastic on her skin and then dragged her to the dining room where the telephone wires were cut off so that they could tie up her hands – and then then tried to smother the woman to death. Meanwhile other men had also been attacking Mr Von Brandis with an axe in the bedroom. Astonishly enough Gail von Brandis then managed to make her escape from the homestead and hid in the garden in the dark. The attackers then tried to open the safe – but couldn’t do that either – and Mr Von Brandis had suffered serious head injuries by then so he couldn’t give them the combination either. Then they tried to escape in the couple’s Mercedes-Benz but this activitated its security system. The attackers then rushed off in the couple’s small Hyundai van and dragged the safe with them and also took a .22 Bruno gun. One of the couple’s sons Barend said the men clearly were familiar with the household as they also wanted to know where his brother Jacques was – they knew he lived on the farm with his parents but the son wasn’t home that night. The deserted Hyundai was found undamaged by a neighbouring farmer at around 7.30 the next morning on the Rosmincol gravel road outside Koster. Mr Von Brandis owns the local quarry and employs many local men residents said. He was transferred from the Zeerust hospital to the Netcare Ferncrest Hospital in Rustenburg with critical head injuries.

    Police are useless:

    A neighbour - Danie Conradie -  said the adjacent squatter camp is a ‘large source of crime problems’ for the entire regtin. Many of Von Brandis’ quarry-workers live there but ‘outsiders are causing problems’ he said. He estimates that many millions of Rands in losses have already been suffered by surrounding farmers from livestock thefts and robberies. And complaints from ratepayers fall on deaf ears with the local cops said residents.“Sometimes they have the excuse that they don’t have vehicles to come out and investigate crimes with and complainants are not issued with any case numbers ‘said one resident. As it happened on the Tuesday before the attack eleven local farmers had held formal talks with SAPS superintendent Seboco of the Potchefstroom SAPS provincial headquarters about the trouble caused by the illegal squatters on the Von Brandis Farm – including the quarry owner himself.http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/87c4106a8f5f4b0a86f73169c07a2db1/12-02-2010-03-19/Egpaar_met_byl_oorval_kortn%C3%A1_polisie_klagtes_aanhoor_

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