Bongani Hans, The Witness – 2010-07-22

Pietermaritzburg – Three people were brutally murdered and left in pools of blood in what is believed to have been a well-planned attack on a farm in Mooi River in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands on Wednesday night.

The attackers murdered a 58-year-old farmer’s wife and a 65-year-old worker, stabbing them and slitting their throats. A third victim, a 34-year-old domestic worker, was shot several times in her employers’ kitchen.

The horrific attack happened at Sherwood Farm on the Corrington road outside Mooi River town at about 20:00.

It seems that the attackers started by distracting the farm owner.

Fire

Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said they set a grass fire on the farm and waited for the farmer to leave the house to put out the blaze.

“The farmer went to put out the fire while his wife went to collect an employee to help. On their way to the fire, they [the wife and the labourer] were confronted by two men,” said Naicker.

The motive for the attack remains sketchy. Naicker said the attackers did not take anything from the farm.

“After the attack the men just ran away on foot,” he said.

He said police officers, with the police dog unit, were still searching for the attackers late on Wednesday night.

A paramedic with the Mooi River-based Nsele Emergency Service, Fritz Erasmus, said the wife’s body was found in a garage, the labourer’s body was outside the kitchen door while the domestic worker’s body was in the kitchen.

“There is plenty of blood at the scene and everybody is distraught,” said Erasmus.

A police officer, who arrived at the farm about an hour after the attack, described the scene as “nothing nice to look at”.

“I’m seeing very traumatised family members and friends. It is a very sad scene,” he said.

Netcare911 spokesperson Jeffrey Wicks said the three victims died before the paramedics arrived at the scene.

Farmers tried to barricade roads

A farmer who declined to be named said a group of local farmers tried to barricade about 15 roads with the aim of catching the suspects. He said about 100 people went to the scene.

“It is a brutal murder. That is what happened here.

“We came out in numbers to barricade the network of roads, including district and dirt roads,” said the farmer.

The KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) expressed shock at the attack. Its security desk manager, Koos Marais, said he believes the attackers had gone to the farm to rob it, but were distracted.

He said that since the beginning of the year there have been 18 farm attacks and three murders, excluding last night’s incident.

He added that the farmer whose wife was killed is a respected member of the union.

“Kwanalu calls on the government to take drastic action to halt the senseless killings of our nation’s food producers. Kwanalu wishes to express its condolences to the family [of the farmer’s wife] and families of the staff,” Marais said.

- The Witness

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Thamsanqa Magubane, The Witness – 2010-07-23

Pietermaritzburg – A massive manhunt is under way for the two people who broke into Sherwood farm at Rosetta near Nottingham Road and killed three people on Wednesday evening.

A farmer’s wife, Lorraine Karg, 58, domestic worker Hilda Linyane, 34, and gardener Zachues Mhlongo, 66, were murdered when an attempted house robbery went wrong.

As relatives and friends continued to arrive at Karg’s son’s home to pay their respects, police investigators with dogs combed the murder scene for clues.

Survivor beaten, locked up

Police were tight-lipped about the progress of the investigation as rumours continued to circulate about possible motives, but they said they are confident of making arrests soon.

A young survivor of the incident, who had fresh bruises on his face, on Thursday told how the assailants had assaulted him.

“There were two of them, but I did not see their faces. They hit me on my face, punched me in my stomach and dragged me to the bathroom where they locked me up.”

He was discovered in a closet during a search of the house.

Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo, who visited the family to pay his respects on behalf of Agriculture MEC Lydia Johnson, condemned the attack.

“Three people were killed in the most barbaric and senseless manner,” said Dlomo. “Two of those people were unarmed, defenceless women. Even in war, you do not kill women.

House robbery that went wrong

“This has the hallmarks of a planned house robbery that went wrong as they had set up a diversion to get the family out, only for the owners to come back sooner than expected.”

He said the robbers tried to steal a safe, but were unable to make off with it.

Dhlomo, who also met farmers’ organisations and the police investigating the crime, said the government is concerned about the fear the incident would stoke in the farming community.

“For the provincial government, which has identified the agriculture industry as the cornerstone of provincial economic development, we are concerned about the violence and we will do all that is necessary to allay fears and to bring the culprits to book.”

He added that while the farmers are happy with the police response and investigations, there are still concerns about the levels of convictions for those charged with farm killings, and “… that is something I would be taking to my colleagues on those departments”.

He said the police have assured him they will be making an arrest soon.

Tony le Roux of the Mooi River Farmers’ Association said in a statement they hope the criminals will be brought to book soon. “We urge the relevant authorities to bring all the possible resources to bear on this case in order to apprehend the suspects as soon as possible.”

‘Barbaric and senseless act’

Political parties also weighed in. The Democratic Alliance community safety and liaison spokesperson, Sizwe Mchunu, described the attack as a “barbaric and senseless act”.

“The incident brings the total number of farm attacks in the province since the beginning of the year to 19,” he said.

Karg is survived by her husband Neville, a son Brendan and two daughters, Tori and Kita.

A community member who asked not to be named described Lorraine Karg as a woman who worked hard alongside her husband on the farm. “We are devastated. Absolutely devastated. We want to see some evidence of the extra police deployed for 2010.”

- The Witness

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Bongani Hans – Beeld 2010-07-22

Drie mense is gisteraand vermoor in ’n klaarblyklik goed beplande plaasaanval in Mooirivier in KwaZulu-Natal.

Die aanvallers het ’n 58-jarige boervrou en ’n 65-jarige werker keelaf gesny. Die derde slagoffer, ’n 34-jarige huishulp, is verskeie kere in die kombuis geskiet.

Kol. Jay Naicker, polisiewoordvoerder, het gesê die aanvallers het omstreeks 20:00 ’n brand op die plaas Sherwood gestig. Hulle het gewag dat die boer die huis verlaat – en toe toegeslaan.

“Die boer het uitgegaan om die brand te gaan blus, terwyl sy vrou ’n werker gaan roep het om te help. Op pad na die brand is die vrou en die werker deur twee mans gekonfronteer.”

Mnr. Fritz Erasmus, ’n paramedikus, het gesê die boervrou se lyk is in ’n motorhuis gevind en dié van die werker buite die kombuisdeur. Albei het steekwonde gehad en is keelaf gesny.

Die huishulp se lyk is in die kombuis gevind.

Naicker het gesê die motief vir die aanval is onbekend. Die moordenaars het te voet gevlug sonder om iets te buit.

Die polisie se honde-eenheid was teen druktyd steeds besig om na hulle te soek.

’n Groep boere het 15 paaie in die omgewing afgesper om die moordenaars te probeer vastrek.

Mnr. Koos Marais, veiligheidshoof van die KwaZulu-Natalse Landbouvereniging, het sy skok oor die moorde uitgespreek.

“Ons doen ’n beroep op die regering om die sinnelose moorde op ons land se voedselprodusente stop te sit.”

lees berig

The Witness

24 Jun 2010
Andile Moshoeshoe
NINE suspects have been arrested in connection with a cattle attack on a local farmer’s cattle three weeks ago. The arrests were made by a special police task team established just a couple of days ago — incorporating members of the dog unit, the detective unit, crime prevention, crime intelligence and the stock theft unit — under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dingaan Khumalo.

The team was established after a Kokstad farmer, whose cattle were brutally attacked at the end of May, found a placard fastened to his gate last weekend demanding that he and his employees vacate the farm within one month or they will be killed.

Allistar McDougal, a dairy farmer of Driefontein farm near Kokstad, received the death threat after weeks of intimidation. Three weeks ago, criminals injured 37 of his cattle. Eight were put down after they were found hamstrung. They also burnt 150 hay bales worth about R45?000. In the note, the criminals claimed to be McDougal’s former employees. They demanded that he and his employees, who came with him from Limpopo four years ago, vacate the area or they will be back to kill them. “All the employees you dismissed from your employment are back. According to a decision they have made, all your employees that you have hired last should go back to Limpopo where they belong. This is not Limpopo,” says the placard.

The placard went on to say that in one month the former employees will kill the people at the farm and destroy the farm. This prompted McDougal to lay a charge with the Kokstad police. The police confirmed that a case of intimidation had been opened. McDougal said that when he arrived in the area, he had hired local people, but dismissed them after they arrived drunk for work and started fighting during working hours.

He added that since he had moved to the area he had experienced problems with crime. “Six months after I arrived, they tried to destroy my dairy. They hacked two calves and a horse to death. They also tried to sabotage my irrigation system.” McDougal said he is almost certain that a criminal element operating in the area is trying to force him off his land. He knows of no land claim on the property.

“They tried to infiltrate my employees, but they failed because I have been with them for a long time and I trust them.” The suspects arrested in connection with the attack, who are between the ages of 25 and 40, cannot be named at this stage.

Khumalo said his team is hot on the heels of two outstanding suspects. He said the suspects are linked to various cases of stock theft that have taken place in the area. Khumalo also revealed that some of the suspects are implicated in other cases relating to house burglaries and the theft of firearms.

Koos Marais of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union’s security desk said he is “delighted at the arrests”. “It is up to the court now to deter stock thieves and criminals, as it is our constitutional right to be protected by the law,” said Marais.

Mount Currie Farmers’ Association chairperson Michael Rennie applauded the work of the police officers, adding that farmers expect to see hefty sentences imposed.

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The Witness
22 Jun 2010
Thamsanqa Magubane

A Kokstad farmer is under siege from criminals intent on forcing him off his land by destroying his property. On Sunday, they left a death threat note at his gate demanding that he and his employees vacate the farm within one month or they will be killed. Allistar McDougal, a dairy farmer of Driefontein farm in Kokstad, received the death threat after weeks of intimidation.

Three weeks ago, criminals injured 37 of his cattle; eight were put down after they were found hamstrung. They also burnt 150 hay bales worth about R45?000. In the note, the criminals, who claim to be McDougal’s former employees, demand that he and his employees, who came with him from Limpopo four years ago, vacate the area or they will be back to kill them. “All the employees you dismissed from your employment are back. According to a decision they have made, all your employees that you have hired last should go back to Limpopo where they belong. This is not Limpopo,” says the note.

The note goes on to say that in one month, the former employees will kill the people there and destroy the farm. This prompted McDougal to lay a charge with Kokstad police station. The station confirmed that a case of intimidation has been opened. McDougal said that when he arrived in the area, he had hired local people, but dismissed them after they arrived drunk on duty and were fighting during working hours. He stressed, however, that ever since he came to the area he has experienced problems with the criminal element there.

“Six months after I arrived, they tried to destroy my dairy, they hacked two calves and horse to death with an axe and injured another horse. They also tried to sabotage my irrigation system.” He said he is almost certain that a criminal element is operating in the area in an attempt to force him off the land, but it cannot be about a land claim issue because he knows of no claim on the property.

He said the note came from the people eager for him to discard his trusted employees. “They tried to infiltrate my employees, but they failed because I have been with them for a long time and I trust them.”

Koos Marais of the security desk at KwaNalu expressed concern about the situation and said the union will liaise with the police to increase the protection of the farmer and his employees.

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