The death of an elderly vegetable farmer’s wife and his severe beating in Upper Tongaat last week is the latest farm attack, coming as the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union warns farmers to increase security measures and be vigilant.
Police suspect that three men who worked on Spioenkop Farm in Upper Tongaat were behind the attack on 76-year-old Steve Govender and his wife, Virathapushanam (70), last week which left her dead and him severely injured.
The couple, who had lived on the vegetable farm for more than 40 years, were tied up by three men for about eight hours as their home was ransacked.
The men stole a shotgun, jewellery and cash.
Mr Govender was hit on the head and tied up in the lounge while his wife was gagged and tied up in the bedroom.
She is believed to have suffocated to death.
The postmortem results are yet to be released to confirm the cause of death.
The couple’s nephew, Dan Reddy, said his aunt was laid to rest last Saturday.
“It was heartbreaking because everyone knew her as a mother figure. She was kind and humble and always ready to help. My uncle was discharged from the hospital before the funeral and he is still in shock.
“He is still a bit confused. The family plan to get together and discuss living arrangements for my uncle,” Reddy said.
According to Umhlali SAPS captain Vinny Pillay, two of the suspects are believed to have fled to the Eastern Cape.
They suspect one of the men is in Tongaat.
Read the original article: Elderly woman dies, gagged in Upper Tongaat farm attack
“We are working with Tongaat SAPS to find the man and we hope that he will lead us to the other suspects. We believe he will be caught soon.”
The men face charges of house robbery and murder.
In a recent presentation to Ilembe farmers at the Darnall Country Club, KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) CEO Sandy La Marque said there had been six murders and 29 attacks on farms in KZN in 2017.
“Most attacks occurred between 12pm and 6pm on a Friday. Adequate security measures were only in place in six of the 17 incidents where security measures were possible,” said La Marque.
She said the most stolen items were cash, firearms and cellphones.
“No matter your racial orientation, or whether you live in a town, city or on a farm, you are a target but the rural nature of farms makes farmers, their families and employees more of a target.
“From the data collected and the evidence heard in court the motives behind these attacks were not driven by race, politics or land but rather socio-economic circumstances leading to opportunistic crimes.”
https://www.citizen.co.za/north-coast-courier/104011/update-second-arrest-gawler-farm-murder/
She urged farmers to tighten security measures, strengthen relationships within communities in order to build trust and to report all incidents, no matter how small or petty, to the SAPS.
“About 78 percent of farmers believe they have a good working relationship with the local police, with 77 percent believing the police could be more active in their area.
“However 71 percent of farmers surveyed employ the services of a private security company.”
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