Leslie farmer critical after being shot
Suspect fires three shots through car window, two hit farmer in the stomach.
LEANDRA – A local farmer was shot in another farm attack in the area.
Mr Chris van Deventer (62) and his wife, Ms Elize van Deventer (60,) were working in the pigsty on their farm near Leslie when the electricity went off at around 11am on 1 March.
Ms Van Deventer immediately went into the house to investigate the cause of the power failure.
On entering the house, she noticed that their two cell phones were missing and she ran back to get her husband.
When the couple arrived in the house, Mr Van Deventer noticed that his firearm was also missing.
The couple got into their car with the intention of reporting the incident to the police.
They saw two young men walking towards the road and when their vehicle stalled at the gate, they confronted the two men and told them they were going to report the theft to the police.
One of the men allegedly took out a firearm and shot three bullets through the car window.
Two of the bullets hit Mr Van Deventer in the stomach.
Ms Van Deventer rushed to the Leandra Police Station where she reported the incident to Sgt Paul Liebenberg who was parking his car in front of the station after having patrolled the area.
He and Sgt Pheunis Jacobs immediately drove to the scene where they arrested the first suspect after 20 minutes of searching for him.
He accompanied the police to the Lebohang township where they arrested the other suspect.
Two cell phones, a cell phone charger and a firearm (the alleged stolen property of the Van Deventer couple) were recovered.
The two suspects, both 21 years old, were arrested.
They appeared in the Leandra Court on Monday, 9 March and the case was postponed.
