An Eastern Cape farmer is in a serious condition in hospital after he was shot during an attack on his farm in the Greenbushes area outside Port Elizabeth on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
Capt. John Rheeder, police spokesperson, said Kobus du Toit (74) and his 72-year-old wife were attacked about 16:45 on their farm Brakkenfontein.
Rheeder said a VW Polo with four occupants arrived at the farm and said they wanted to buy cattle. After a worker took them to a kraal to choose a cow, they asked to see the owner of the farm in order to negotiate a price.
“Mr. Du Toit spoke to them in an office on the farm. They could not agree on a price and a quarrel arose,” Rheeder said. “Two of the suspects pulled out guns and demanded all the phones in the house and the safe keys.”
The attackers took Du Toit into the house where they tied up his wife. Before they could tie him, he took a gun that he carry on his person, and shot at the suspects. He later said he thought he had wounded one of the attackers, but it is not yet clear whether this is the case, Rheeder said.
“The attackers returned fire and Mr. Du Toit were hit in both legs and in the stomach,” he said. “One of the attackers got scared and jumped through a window to try to escape and cut himself quite badly. We suspect he cut off the main artery in his arm. “The other three suspects jumped into the VW Polo and fled with Du Toit’s gun and three phones.
After police were called, the body of the suspect who jumped through the window, was found about 800 meters from the house. He bled to death.
Rheeder said the suspect was well known to the police, but he would not elaborate further on the case.
“The Polo was later found at Fitchers Corner, not far from the farm. The vehicle was stolen earlier during a hijacking in the Motherwell area,” he said.
Du Toit is currently in hospital in a serious but stable condition. His wife is very traumatized, but not injured, Rheeder said. No one has been arrested. A case of robbery and attempted murder is being investigated.
Source – Maroela Media
South Africa Today – South Africa News
