The horrific farm attack and murder occurred on Monday 13 May 2019, on the farm Kapteinsdrif near Bonnievale. Mr. Tool Wessels (55) was murdered and his wife, Liezel, was seriously injured after she was, among other things, burnt with boiling water. Mr. Wessels was also cruelly tortured before he was killed.
The Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, lauded the members of the Provincial Organised Crime, for their sterling investigation which led to the arrest of four Lesotho Nationals on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Bonnievale police attended a crime scene on Monday, 13 May 2019, at a farm. Upon arrival at the scene, members found a female who sustained serious injuries.
Further inspection led to the discovery of the body of a 55-year-old man, next to a pump house who sustained a gunshot wound to his head.
The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel whilst the injured female was transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The suspects fled the scene with two firearms and an undisclosed amount of cash taken from the scene.
A 29-year-old male was arrested and detained on Tuesday, 14 May 2019.
The investigation team pursued information indicating that three persons of interest fled the area the same night of the attack in a bid to evade arrest.
An application for a warrant of arrest was approved for the imminent arrest of the three persons of interest. On Friday, 6 December 2019, three males aged between 25 and 26 were arrested and detained with the assistance of the Lesotho police.
The arrest of the persons of interested paved the way for a marathon extradition enquiry at Mohales Hoek Magistrate’s Court in Lesotho. The process was concluded when the extradition of the suspects was finally signed off on Monday, 25 April 2022.
On Monday, 25 July 2022, the three suspects were extradited at the Maseru border, facilitated by Interpol where the warrant of arrest was executed.
Once charged, the suspects are expected to make a court appearance in the Bonnievale Magistrate’s Court on the mentioned charges.
Read: Cruel torture: FF Plus strongly condemns Bonnievale farm attack and murder
Read: Farm murder: Woman stabbed, burnt with boiling water, husband murdered, Bonnievale
Read about more farm attacks here
