A female farm resident was seriously assaulted by fruit thieves on 1 July 2023, on a farm in Paarl, in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
She is currently being treated in hospital after she bumped into fruit thieves on her property, while they were busy loading trolleys full of ripe fruit.
While addressing the culprits, she got hit on the head with a stick, she managed to stumble home and while bleeding profusely from her injury, she called her husband to alert Drakenstein Farm Watch (DFW) for help.
Its important to know, that the victim plays an important role as DFW volunteer emergency responder and fire fighter and can often be found in the rural areas as first responder to assist those in need.
In minutes after the call, the active DFW emergency medical responders, but also the crime response group of the DFW, were on scene.
The DFW group and its many members, have a huge private radio network and in minutes any response to any emergency or threat can and will be initiated.
Soon after the response by multiple DFW teams, the culprits were detained and then positively identified by the victim, who then was rushed to hospital.
The DFW security partner, FADT send 2 response vehicles to guard the detained culprits.
The violence and audacity to commit serious crime by fruit thieves and other perpetrators, not forgetting the severity of some assaults towards some of their victims, when they get stumbled upon, or those who are in their way (gross bodily harm), is becoming more and more traumatic and severe to say the least, and should be dealt with a zero tolerance approach and attitude by authorities, and not just a slap in the wrist.
Many times before we reported on the same issues, when farmers got shot at, stabbed and brutally assaulted or shot in the head, their cattle or sheep slaughtered, infra structure destroyed or vandalized and their families threatened by rape or death, but unfortunately here the culprits all got away or light sentences.
Now it seems to get worse by the week.
The police were contacted around 08.02 by DFW control and arrived 09.07
The female victim, will definitely lay a charge of assault with the intention to cause severe bodily harm against her perpetrator/s.
As DFW entity, it seems we are one of the last Mohicans to stand our grounds by our responses, in the fight against crime, but especially GBV in the predominantly rural farming community.
No farmers, no food. Crime kills businesses and creates more poverty.
We wish the injured volunteer a speedy recovery.
We will keep a sharp eye on the proceedings of this case.
Read about more farm attacks here
Information supplied by Drakenstein Farm Watch
