A woman was killed in an alleged farm attack in Ottosdal in the North West yesterday (October 5). 

Hannetjie van Zyl (55) was stabbed with an unknown object while attempting to open a gate at Doornpan Farm. 

North West police spokesperson Sergeant Kelebogile Morake said officers were informed on arrival that Van Zyl’s husband had transported her to a hospital in Klerksdorp, where she later died. 

She added that the circumstances of the incident are still under investigation. 

“No suspects have been arrested at this stage,” said Morake. 

Activists demand justice 

Petrus Sitho, the founder of No More Farm Murders, in a Facebook post has called for justice following Van Zyl’s killing and urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to do more to ensure farmers and farm workers are protected. 

Also in a post on Facebook, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, said behind every crime statistic were a person, family, friends and a community that now has to deal with the consequences of another violent farm attack. 

“Rural communities cannot simply be expected to accept this level of violence as part of life in South Africa. Rural policing, crime intelligence, properly resourced detectives and functioning rural safety structures matter,” said Cameron. 

He added that those responsible for attacks must be identified, arrested and successfully prosecuted. 

Freedom Front Plus leader Dr Corné Mulder said as long as government and Ramaphosa refuse to acknowledge the extent of farm attacks and declare them a priority crime, they fail to fulfil their primary constitutional duty to protect all the people of South Africa. 

“When a number of women were recently killed on the East Rand, President Ramaphosa immediately condemned it, demanding that it should be prioritised,” said Mulder. 

“That is precisely how any serious crime problem ought to be handled. Why do the agricultural community and the killing of farmers not deserve the same urgency and official condemnation?” 

According to AfriForum, there were 184 farm attacks and 29 farm murders in 2025, he said. 

“These figures would undoubtedly have been much higher if farmers and rural communities had not organised their own security structures — a responsibility that should rest squarely on government’s shoulders,” he added. 

Tributes paid to ‘soft-spoken’ victim 

People in the comment sections of Sitho Facebook posts expressed their shock and sadness following the killing. 

Madeleen Labuschagne described Van Zyl as a ‘soft-spoken person’. 

“She was loved by many,” said Labuschagne.  “May her soul rest in peace.” 

Fransisca Pretorius described the killing as unnecessary, saying she is heartbroken and dumbfounded. 

Marita Grobler described the murder as ‘senseless’. 

Ronelle Janse van Vuuren called for proper prosecution and added that those responsible should be jailed for life. 

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