Four men appeared in court on March 9, 2015 in connection with the murder of Dr. Louis-John Botha (64), a game farmer of Swartwater in Limpopo.
Col. Ronel Otto, provincial police spokesperson, told Maroela Media on Friday that the four suspects were apprehended on Friday between 05:00 and 06:00 in the Groblersdal area.
“A firearm and a phone which was stolen during the attack on Botha, was found in the suspects’ possession,” said Otto.
The suspects are between 22 and 27 years old. They appeared in the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court on March 9, 2015 on a charge of murder.
Botha’s daughter, Riëtte (32), told Maroela Media that she was “very glad” the suspects were arrested. She is full of praise for the police and said the forensic team has done “brilliant work.”
Riëtte said on Friday the autopsy determined that a hard blow to her father’s head were the possible cause to his death.
“The suspects waited for him in his house. He was tied up and beaten several times with a spade and sticks. They threw him into a water hole, and left him for dead.”
According to Riëtte, her father was probably still alive when he was thrown into the water, and with his hands tied, he tried to swim to the shore before he died. Crocodiles also ate on his body. Col. Otto confirmed that Botha died of a blow to his head.
One of the suspects is apparently a Zimbabwean who was hired to erect a fence on Botha’s farm.
His girlfriend, Rosa Fourie (56), who lives with him on the farm, was in Pretoria for the weekend. She and Botha’s mother, Eva (85), who lives on a farm in the area, and friends whom he would have visited on Saturday, became concerned when they could not get hold of him.
On Sunday they called Botha’s neighbors and asked to investigate. When the neighbor arrived on Sunday at Botha’s home, the door stood open. There was no sign of Botha. The safe was open and there was blood in the house.
A quest for Botha was launched and his body was found early Monday morning in a water hole, about 200 m away from the house.
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