Two men accused of killing a North West woman in an alleged farm attack made their first appearance in the Bloemhof Periodical Court today (October 8).  

Hannetjie van Zyl (55) died after she was stabbed with an unknown object while attempting to open a gate at Doornpan Farm near Ottosdal on Monday (October 5).  

Murder and robbery charges  

The accused, Martin Boitumelo Mosime (28) and Moleko Sekwaage (29), face charges of murder and robbery.  

North West police spokesperson Sergeant Kelebogile Morake said a witness identified the suspects, while a third suspect remains at large.  

She added that the matter was postponed to October 15 for formal bail applications.  

TLU SA demands urgent government intervention  

According to the Transvaal Agricultural Union SA (TLU SA), Van Zyl’s murder once again highlighted a question the organisation has been putting to government: When will farm attacks and murders receive the political and security priority that their scale and sustained nature require?  

The organisation added that her murder should not simply lead to another round of condemnation and sympathy.  

“It should force the government to clearly answer what is being done to prevent the next attack. The agricultural community doesn’t need more promises. It needs a workable security plan and the political will to implement it,” said TLU SA.  

“These are not isolated incidents that are simply recorded from month to month. There is a persistent safety problem in rural areas and this requires a sustained, co-ordinated response from the state,” added the organisation’s GM Bennie van Zyl.  

Rural crime  

According to TLU SA’s incident register, which records farm attacks and murders from across the country, there were 27 farm attacks and three farm murders in August, followed by 17 attacks in September. 

In the first seven days of October, seven farm attacks and one farm murder were also recorded.  The union’s previous statistics show that 32 farm murders were recorded in 2024 and 23 in 2025. 

TLU SA said these figures confirm the extent of the security threat that farmers, farm workers and their families face.  

“When these attacks occur, the absence of a clear message from the highest level of government is striking. Recognition alone will not solve the problem, but a problem that is not properly recognised and prioritised will not be properly addressed,” said Bennie.  

Calls to finalise National Rural Security Strategy  

According to TLU SA, the uncertainty surrounding the National Rural Security Strategy reinforces the union’s safety concerns.  

“The strategy has been under review since April, but the revised version has still not been signed off,” it said.  

The union is calling for the strategy to be urgently finalised and effectively implemented, stating that rural security must include adequate policing, intelligence-driven crime prevention, proper response capacity and collaboration with local security structures.  

“We expect farmers to produce, invest, create jobs and put food on South African tables. We cannot, at the same time, expect them to accept an increasing safety risk as simply part of the reality of farming,” added Bennie.  

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