Employee Attacks [Pt1] : Murdered, Tortured, Robbed or Raped by their Employees

TERREBLANCHE: Eugene, 69, leader of AWB on his farm Witrandjiesfontein, April 2010.

Tortured, beaten and finally murdered by two employees, Zimbabwean Chris Mahlangu, 28, and a 15 year old over an alleged wage dispute.

IOL & Rapport

Chris Mahlangu, 28, and his 15-year-old co-accused allegedly murdered the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader in April at his farmhouse.

Mahlangu was released in July on R5 000 bail but re-arrested in October after a Pretoria High Court judge said the magistrate in Ventersdorp had made “incomprehensive findings” in his granting of bail.

The judge found that Mahlangu was a flight risk.

At a previous appearance, the court heard that Terre'Blanche carried a panga with him everywhere he went and he frequently took off his underpants because of the heat.

Shortly after the murder there was speculation, fuelled by reports of Terre'Blanche being found dead with his pants down, and that he had attempted to sexually assault his killers.

It was revealed during the bail application that the trio had been consuming alcohol before the incident and were in a “jovial” mood.

The motive for the crime was believed to be over a wage dispute and missing cattle.

The court heard that Terre'Blanche had been struck with such force that his jaw was broken and a bone had pierced his tongue.

Terreblanche was found dead on his bed, which was covered in blood, having been attacked with a panga, particularly to his upper body and face.

Visagie said Terre’Blanche was bludgeoned so badly he was barely recognisable and described a gory murder scene indicative of great rage when he visited the farm .

“There was blood all over the place, pools on the mattress, the pillow, the floor and splatters on the walls and ceiling,” he said.

“The deductions I make is that he was killed almost instantaneously but the murderers kept on beating his body and chopping his corpse with the panga.”

» » » » [Rapport: 2010-04-03: Eugene Terre'Blanche op plaas vermoor] [Daily Dispatch: 2010-04-07: Gory murder was a ‘scene of great rage’] [IOL: 2010-11-19: ET murder trial resumes]

GREYVENSTEIN: Johan, 54 & Annelise, 53, Musina, in their car, 2 Nov 2010.

Executed in an ambush, allegedly by two fired employees, with former prison records.

Beeld & Zoutnet

The Greyvenstein's were mining contractors at the Venetia mine, who went to visit their daughter after work on Nov 2. No mine employees reported that they did not show up for work on 3 November. Their bodies were discovered after neighbour Martin van Rensburg contacted the SAPS when he did not see the couple since Tuesday. They went to look for the couple and found Mr Greyvenstein, 54, shot execution-style behind the left-ear, and Mrs. Greyvenstein was also shot in the head. His body was lying halfway across his 53-year-old wife’s blood-soaked body. Beeld reports there was allot of blood.

Allegedly someone got into the house via the roof, cut open the gun-safe and stole Mr. Greyvenstein's revolver. Nothing else was missing from the house. The police were looking for a Zimbabwean who had been fired by Mr. Greyvenstein after an electric pump was stolen from the neighbours, the previous week, who suspected the Zimbabwean.

Shortly after their burial, two hardened criminals were arrested in the Esigodini area near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe policespokesperson, Supt. Hosiah Mukombero said the men were arrested in a joint operation by SA and Zimbabwe police, and are also suspected of involvement in a Zimbabwe murder.

According to Mukombero the two accused were allegedly former employees of Mr. Greyvenstein, who were fired, and then ambushed and murdered Mr. Greyvenstein and his wife. Shortly thereafter they made an illegal crossing into Zimbabwe.

» » » » [Zoutnet: 2010-11-19: Twee vas ná Greyvenstein-moorde] [Beeld: 2010-11-04: ‘Daar was baie, baie bloed...’]

VAN DER LITH: Pieter Blomerus (Blom), 65 and wife Henna; Nov 2010.

Murdered and tortured to death, allegedly after a dispute with an employee, 70 km outside Louis Trichardt, on their Farm Swartklip

Beeld & Zoutnet

The tortured bodies of Mr. and Mrs. van der Lith were found by a farmer visiting the farm to buy lucerne; who came across the dead body of one of the workers, at his house and called the police.

Mr. van der Lith's tortured dead body was found tied to waterpipe's, with his Land Cruiser about 20 meters from it, with his shotgun inside.

Mrs. van der Lith had been tied up, and was attacked while she was making frikadelle. Both were tortured to death. Nothing was stolen, not even a jewelry box and purses found in the room where Mrs. van der Lith was murdered.

It is suspected the motive surrounds a confrontation between Mr. van der Lith and an employee, regarding lucern sales.

According to Mr. Japie van der Goot, chairman of the Bobrak Boerevereniging, says that politicians need to be held accountable for justifying farm murders, including barbaric torture, as a result of employee disputes. He asked when do members of the cabinet become responsible for their political statements justifying such behaviour.

Mr. Doors le Roux, chairman of TLU-SA North Safety and Security committee, asked if there is any other civilized nation in the world where a minority are exterminated in such cold blood hearlessness, without the goverment lifting a finger to prevent it; instead making it illegal for those so attacked to defend themselves. He called on the international community to support the farmers defence system, since clearly the goverment has no interest to do anything about farm attacks and murders.

Later report stated that the dead farm-worker had been one of the attackers. The farmworkers had attacked Mr. van der Lith in the veld, where he was going to sell cattle. Mr. van der Lith had a rubber carmat tied around his head and had been beaten to death with various weapons. Later they went to the house, where they murdered Mrs. van der Lith, who managed to stab the one farm-worker, who later died at his home from the wound.

No jewels, purses or electrical equipment was stolen.

» » » » [Beeld: 2010-11-16: Egpaar en hul werker op Limpopo plaas vermoor] [Zoutnet: 2010-11-19: Vivo-egpaar moontlik dood gemartel] [Beeld: 2010-11-19: Werker wat sterf glo ook ’n aanvaller]

CROESER: Erica, 32 and husband Morne, 34, in their home at Msinsi Game Reserve at Albert Falls Dam; August 2010

Erica's throat was slit and her husband was stabbed in the stomach, allegedly in response to a labour dispute

News 24

Erica Croeser, 32, had her throat slit with a knife that was also used to stab her 34-year-old husband, Constable Morné Croeser of the SAPS dog unit, in the stomach, at their home at Msinsi Game Reserve, Albert Falls Dam, in the early hours of Saturday.

When paramedics arrived they found the knife still lodged in his stomach.

The scene was described as “very, very gory”.

Police believe the stabbing ws a result of a labour dispute at Erica's work, where she was a tourism assistant supervisor, responsible for hiring and firing at Albert Falls.

Two attackers were waiting for them in their home, when they returned late at night.

» » » » [News 24: 2010-08-29: Womans throat slit in nature reserve & 2010-08-29: Couple attacked in game reserve]

[Unnamed woman] gang-raped and stabbed at her home, Boksburg; Feb 2010

Gang-raped, stabbed by a group of men hired as labourers by her husband to build a lapa.

Sowetan

The young woman had previously cooked for the suspects, while they were working in the couple's garden.

She was bruised and battered after being gang-raped and stabbed by the group of labourers who were on a revenge mission. Her husband, visibly shaken and seething with anger, did not utter a word yesterday and only nodded when the police told him
they had arrested the suspected thugs. The couple lives in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.

Three weeks previously the husband hired four men to construct a lapa in the family’s yard. The whole time they worked there the woman, in her early 30s, prepared meals for them. The man had agreed to pay the four R8400. When they completed the project he renegotiated to pay them R2000 less – to cover the cost of food. They didn’t object.

On Tuesday he paid them R6400. The following morning they returned to the house and attacked the wife. “His wife cooked breakfast and lunch for them so the husband decided to deduct money for meals. They did not disagree when he paid them,” a police source said.

The four, aged between 22 and 32, ransacked the house and loaded a TV, DVD player, jewellery and tools on to her husband’s bakkie. They took turns to rape her. One of them stabbed her several times in the face and also tried to cut her throat.

They could not drive away because none of them could drive. She managed to crawl and press a panic button. “Three of them grabbed what they could carry and escaped. They went around selling the stolen goods to shopkeepers in town,” the source said.

Boksburg North police spokesperson Constable Cathy Meyer said the husband, who was at work, received a “strange” call from someone using their land line. “No one spoke and he realised that something was wrong. He went home and found his bakkie loaded with goods. One suspect was still in the house. He tried to run away when he saw the husband. The husband managed to subdue him.”

» » » » [Sowetan: 2010-02-12: Wife raped on ‘revenge mission’]

VAN ZYL: Koos (63) and his wife, Retha (66), in their farmhouse; Jan 2010

Murdered with a meathook and shotgun on their farm Poortjie between Senekal en Steynrus, by a fired employee.

Beeld & Volksblad

Mrs. van Zyl went outside to determine why the electricity generator went off; and was then brutally attacked with the meathook.

The couple were first brutally attacked with a meathook, and subsequently shot in the chest with a shotgun.

The one accused was a former employee who was fired on the day of the attack.

He was later arrested in their daughters stolen car, while the other arrested person was in possession of their cellphone.

It was the second farm-attack in two weeks in the district. Mr. Frik Ras, also a farmer was attacked on his farm, the day after Christmas.


» » » » [Beeld: Vleishaak-aanval: Ontstelde boere ruk op by hofverskyning] [Volksblad: Egpaar wreedaardig vermoor op hul plaas]

VAN DER HOVEN: Anna, 64 a UNISA Criminology professor in her garden, July 2009

Beaten, throttled and punched while taking a cup of tea to a worker building garden feature for her Lyttelton home.

IOL

Prof. van der Hoven was brutally attacked with a garden spade/fork, beaten, throttled, and then punched, after taking a worker in her garden a cup of tea.

The attacker was arrested shortly after her neighbours domestic saw him fleeing his victims Glover Avenue home. The 28 year old man began working on the water feature on Monday, and was waiting behind a wall, after his employers left to fetch more building materials.

Prof. van der Hoven was repeatedly to the back of her head and neck as she entered the garden with a cup of tea for the man; who then tried to strangle her from behind, before punching her in face when she lost consciousness.

Shortly after arriving home from work, "as she was walking outside taking the labourer a cup of tea, he struck her over the back of the head before throttling her and then punching her in the face. He then grabbed her handbag, money and laptop computer before fleeing," said an officer.

The next door domestic heard screams for help, and ran outside to find the attacker running away.

Prof. van der Hoven is a respected criminologist in global academic community and served on council of Criminological and Victimological society of Southern Africa. It was her third attack in the last few years.

» » » » [Pretoria News: Page 3: 2009-07-02: Professor in hospital after brutal attack] [News 24: 09-07-03: Shocked prof tells of attack]

ROWE: Alan, 58, Rietvlei/Mooiriver KZN farmer; May 2009

Murder by former fired employee, who organized a gang of eight to rob his former employer

Meat Trade Daily News,
East Coast Radio, Witness

Rietvlei farmer Alan Rowe's family father at murder scene: his cousins Graham and Laura Rowe, and aunt Mrs Bev Rowe. Picture: Sandile Waka-Zamisa

Rietvlei farmer Alan Rowe's murder was arranged by his former employee, Sibonelo Duma, 22, who pled guilty to murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The Judge said Duma played a “pivotal and crucial” role in Rowe’s murder. Duma had worked for Rowe in 2008 and was dismissed by the farmer. Duma then hatched a plan to rob Rose on May 13, by leading a gang of eight to the farm to commit the robbery.

“There was significant, extensive and careful planning that went into the execution of this farm murder,” the judge said.

He said one member of the robber gang possessed an R5 assault rifle, which is normally issued to the armed forces. “It was obviously clear to every member of the gang that there was no possibility whatsoever that the deceased would survive this attack,” the judge said.

He said farm attacks are prevalent and have far-reaching effects on the agricultural community and society as a whole.

In his plea explanation, Duma said he was staying in kwaMashu and met a person with whom he discussed their “lack of money”. “We resolved to commit a robbery to obtain money. I mentioned my previous employer as a potential target for us to rob.”

Duma said they recruited others to join them and in all, eight of them drove to Rietvlei to commit the robbery. Only he and one other person were not armed. Duma said they arrived in Rietvlei late on the night of May 12 and found the gates to Rowe’s farm, Bloemendal Estate, locked. They decided to return the next day and spent the night in an abandoned homestead.

On May 13 they went to the farm at about 5.30 pm and hid near the entrance. When Rowe arrived and got out of his vehicle, someone made a noise and alarmed him. “[Rowe] went back towards his motor vehicle and I thereafter heard several gunshots. At that stage I was with Mbo, who also fired several shots with the R5 rifle.”

He said they fled and on reaching their bakkie — parked about a kilometre away — waited for the others. “When we discussed what had transpired … Zweli stated that he shot the deceased because the deceased tried to grab him”, he said.

POLICE confirmed yesterday that three other suspects were arrested in the Durban area in connection with Alan Rowe’s murder, and appeared in court in Greytown yesterday. This brings to five the number arrested so far, including Sibonelo Duma.

The latest accused are Mbuso Mabaso (19), Zwelibuyile Mhlongo (24) and Muszwakhe Khumalo (25). They were remanded in custody for seven days pending further investigations.

» » » » [Meat Trade Daily News: 09-05-30: Death of a Farmer] [East Coast Radio: 09-07-13: 2nd Arrest of KZN farmer's murder] [Witness: 09-07-23: Farm Killer confesses]

VAN DEN BOSCH-GRIEP, Johannes, 63 and his Jacobi, 60; Dutch immigrant farmers; May 2009

Beaten and stabbed to death by former employee Akhona, Inocent Gini, 25, who robbed 2 cellphones

Beeld & Censorbugbear

Johannes & Jacobi van den Bosch, murdered on their dairy farm on Easter Friday Akhona, Inocent Gini, 25, at his court appearance on two charges of murder and robbery

Van den Bosch's immigrated from Utrecht in Holland in 1982 to run a dairy farm, and were bludgeoned to death on Easter Friday, April 10 2009.

Johannes was beaten to death while milking his cows early in the morning. Jacobi was stabbed to death in the house.

Their bodies were discovered by their son in law T Schinkel, from Randburg.

The only thing stolen were their cellphones.

There was a great deal of violence and cruelty involved in the attacks.

Akhona Inocent Gini, 25, a former employee of the couple was arrested and charged with murder and robbery with extenuating circumstances.

He was arrested in a squatter camp outside Witbank. One of the couple's cellphones were found in his possession.


» » » » [Beeld: 09-05-11: Saak uitgestel van man met paar se selfoon] [Censorbugbear: 09-04-13: 20090409 Van den Bosch farm couple murdered, Boschkop, Pretoria & 09-05-17: Farmer Assassinated in Kwazulu-Natal]

HAYWARD: Clint, 35 and Michelle, 37 in their bedroom at the Mountain View Hotel, Louis Trichardt, on 20 October 2004

Shot in cold blood, by three Zimbabweans, one a former employee, Themba Thomas Chirume (20), Liberty Marumo (18), Jason Muleya Chadhebha (25).

Zoutnet

Clint and Michelle Hayward were shot in cold blood in their bedroom, and their bodies were discovered the next morning by their 12 year old daughter. The murders sparking a massive manhunt, with ground forces and a police helicopter.

Themba Chirume, 19, a former employee was finally traced by means of the Haywards stolen cellphone.

Even though the simcard had been removed, 205 warrants were served by police on different cellphone providers, who traced the cellphone, and led police straight to Chirume, who was hiding out at Makungwi Village outside Thohoyandou. He implicated his brother and another Zimbabwean.

Chirume, a former employee of the Haywards, were taken to Musina on Monday morning were he made an admission of guilt. He also implicated two other Zimbabwean men in the murder of the Hayward couple. Prior to this, he took police to a place where two firearms, one belonging to the Hayward couple and another stolen from the SANDF base at Makhado, were recovered.

They were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, plus 55 years.

» » » » [Zoutnet: 2004-10-29: Breakthrough in Hayward double murder; 2004-11-05: Huge reward for information in Armitage murder; 2006-11-03: Verdagtes in dubbelmoord op Hayward-egpaar weer in hof; 2007-11-16: Hayward-moordsaak begin momentum kry; 2008-03-21: Staat sluit saak af teen beskuldigdes in Hayward-moorde; 2008-04-11: Lewenslange vonnisse vir Hayward-moordenaars]

SCHMIDT: Rudi, 51 on farm Tuscanon, near Pontdrif, Messina; March 2002

Farmer stabbed to death and died from blood loss, during robbery by alleged former farm security guard, Dennis Moyo, 27

Zoutnet

Rudi and Corlia Schmidt were viciously attacked on their farm at 02:20 hrs, who attacked them in their bedroom. The attacker had been hiding in the house awaiting their return.

The attacker wore a balaclava, woke up Mr. Schmidt and they got into a struggle. Mr. Schmidt screamed to his wife to get something heavy to hit the attacker. She tried to call the police, but the telephone lines had been cut. The attacker stormed Mrs. Schmidt, hitting her in the face with his fist, after having stabbed Mr. Schmidt in the neck. Mr. Schmidt collapsed from loss of blood in the kitchen, fighting the attacker, while Mrs. Schmidt managed to get hold of a farm foreman. Mr. Schmidt died from his wounds on the way to the hospital.

It was suspected that three men were involved in the attack, while two farm workers did not pitch up for work after the attack. The main suspect was a former security guard who had worked on the farm, 27 yr old Dennis Moyo from Zimbabwe who was subsequently arrested in Zimbabwe and extradited, but due to technical errors in the extradition, he was subsequently released.

» » » » [Zoutnet: 2002-03-15: Boer doodgesteek deur onbekende aanvaller; 2002-05-17: Verdagte in moordsaak eers terug na Zimbabwe; 2002-03-22: Verdagte in Schmidt-moord aan Suid-Afrika uitgelewer]