A 71 year old cattle farmer from Vredefort in the Free State was attacked and shot dead by a group of suspects on Sunday morning 4 March 2018.
WO Lorain Earle, spokesperson for the police, identified the farmer as Dirk Steenkamp. According to Earle, Steenkamp was a reputable businessman and farmer in the area.
[According to information this was the sixth attempt on Dirk’s life. Farmers in the area say it was an execution.]
Steenkamp left his house early in the morning to investigate a water pump on the farm. He was armed.
“The suspects attacked him while he was still working on the water pump,” she said. “They shot him and his wife heard the shots. She then called the police and the neighborhood watch, after which the suspects fled. ”
The suspects apparently stole a cellphone and a firearm in the incident.
According to Earle, Steenkamp died at the scene. “There was nothing paramedics could do for him,” she said.
A next of kin of the Steenkamps who wanted to remain anonymous told Maroela Media that the Vredefort community is angry and in mourning. “We are very angry today. They killed him in cold blood and then just ran away. ”
Earle could not confirm allegations that Steenkamp’s murder was an execution as claimed by social media.
No one has been arrested in connection with the incident. The police finecoming is the area for the suspects.
A case of murder and robbery has been opened.
Read the original article in Afrikaans on Maroela Media
South Africa Today – South Africa News
