Last month: July Farm Attacks In South Africa: Whites Beaten, Stabbed, Kidnapped, Held Prisoner And Shot, And In One Case, Murdered

In South Africa, black-on-white farm attacks continued, using guns, pangas, clubs and an axe. (The panga, below, is the South African machete.)

A 94-year-old white woman died from being shot, as did a security guard. An 81-year-old white man committed justifiable homicide with a rifle. A 72-year-old white man also returned fire on attackers after being wounded. Victims who weren’t injured were frequently tied up or locked in sheds. And one white woman was gang-raped, but survived.

• The Van den Heever family was attacked during a farmhouse invasion in the Mpumalanga province.

One victim required stitches after being hit in the head with a piece of wood. Police arrested three suspects after being notified by an organized farm watch.

Farm attack: Door kicked down, family attacked, farm watch arrests 1, Chrissiesmeer https://t.co/phFpc4b3tb via @SATodayNews

— South Africa Today (@SATodayNews) August 2, 2021

The incident occurred August 1, 2021.

[Farm attack: Door kicked down, family attacked, farm watch arrests 1, Chrissiesmeer, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 2, 2021]

• A security guard was fatally shot during a farm attack in the Brondal region in the Mpumalanga province.

The farm owner was also shot and was hospitalized in critical condition. Three attackers were wearing uniforms similar to those of security guards. The intruders ransacked the farmhouse and made off with a Ford Ranger truck.

The incident occurred August 2, 2021.

[Farm attack, victims seriously injured, hospitalised, Brondal, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 2, 2021]

[Brondal farm attack: Security guard shot dead, farmer still critical, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 2, 2021]

• Three suspects were arrested after a farm home invasion in Campbell, a small town in the Northern Cape province.

Reports say a 36-year-old farmer was assaulted with a panga while he and his 28-year-old wife were threatened with a firearm. After taking a revolver, cash, cell phones, and a laptop, the suspects kidnapped the couple, forcing them into their small truck in an attempt to withdraw cash from an ATM. The truck, however, broke down and the suspects fled.

The incident occurred July 7, 2021. The arrests were made September 2, 2021.

[3 Farm attackers arrested after couple assaulted with pangas, Campbell, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 2, 2021]

• Five suspects were arrested after a series of home invasions were investigated by the Phuthaditjhaba Tactical Response Team in Warden, Free State.

The gang allegedly targets farm homes and other residential dwellings in the area.

The investigation commenced on July 3, 2021.

#sapsFS The Phuthaditjhaba Tactical Response Team arrested five suspects on alleged spate of house robberies and farm attacks in Warden area. #TrioCrimes MLhttps://t.co/t1I1l4jVfO pic.twitter.com/9M3Gqvlher

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) August 4, 2021

[South African Police Service, August 4, 2021]

• Farm workers were attacked and bound in Skuinsdrif in the North West province.

Reports say the six attackers forced one of the victims to call the farmer to request medicine. As Gart and Elna Botha’s vehicle approached the workers, the suspects shot at them but failed to injure the couple allowing them to speed off to report the crime. The suspects fled. Five were arrested later that day. Reports say the suspects may have been involved in other attacks dating back to 2017.

The incident occurred August 3, 2021.

[Farm attackers use workers to lure couple out, open fire on them, Skuinsdrif, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 4, 2021]

• A family was bound during a farm attack in Theescombe, Eastern Cape province.

Reports say the intruder gained entry by shattering a glass door with a gunshot. The family was watching television when the intrusion occurred. Stolen were a revolver, jewelry, wallet, cellphones, cash, laptop, and other items.

The incident occurred August 7, 2021.

[Farm attack, glass door shattered, family assaulted, tied up, Theescombe, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 9, 2021]

• A farm attack in Bergplaats in the North West province lasted about three hours as farm workers were assaulted then bound while their attackers ransacked the farm and its house.

Among items stolen were four firearms. The victims eventually freed themselves with no serious injuries. Reports say the intruders began their assault at around 11 pm and left at about 2 am.

The incident occurred August 9, 2021.

[Farm attack, workers assaulted, tied up, 4 firearms stolen, Zeerust, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 10, 2021]

• A 72-year-old farmer returned fire after being shot during a farm attack in Weltevreden, Eastern Cape.

The victim stepped outside after his dogs began barking. The assailants, standing only a few feet away, began shooting. The farmer, however, was prepared and immediately returned fire prompting the attackers to flee. The victim sustained injuries to a lower leg and was hospitalized in stable condition.

The incident occurred August 11, 2021.

[Farm attack, farmer returns fire after being shot, Hankey, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 12, 2021]

• A woman was shot in the shoulder as she drove from a farm near the town of Louis Trichardt, in the Limpopo province.

 No arrests were made. The incident occurred August 13, 2021.

[Farm attack, woman hospitalised after attackers open fire, Louis Trichardt, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 13, 2021]

• A 51-year-old woman survived a shot to her head after being grazed by a bullet during a farmhouse invasion in Theescombe in the Eastern Cape province.

Reports say three intruders gained entrance through a side door, held the woman’s daughter at gun point as she watched television. The invaders then made their way to the woman’s bedroom where they woke her, demanding cash and her earrings. Meanwhile, the 12-year-old activated a panic button and ran to safety outside the home. The suspects made off with the victim’s earrings in addition to a laptop, cell phone, keys to vehicles, and a laptop bag containing personnel documents.

The incident occurred August 14, 2021.

[Another Theescombe home invasion: Family attacked, bullet grazes woman’s head, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 16, 2021]

• One of three would-be home invaders was arrested after attempting to enter a farmhouse in the Tweespruit area in the Free State province.

A neighboring farmer observed the suspects and sounded an alarm. Other farmers responded promptly, sending the suspects fleeing. Reports say the invaders gained entry to the property by tunneling under a fence.

The incident occurred August 15, 2021.

[Farm attack foiled as alert farmers respond to call, Tweespruit, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 16, 2021]

• 54-year-old Gideon Wessels was working outside when approached by three armed males in the Harrismith district in the Free State province.

The victim was forced into his home where the attackers demanded he open his safe. While no money was found to be stolen, the assailants made off with a rifle, two cell phones, and other valuables. Wessels was tied to a chair before the invaders fled. Once he freed himself, the victim contacted neighbors. Police arrested five suspects and recovered the stolen rifle.

The incident occurred August 16, 2021.

[Farm attack, farmers and police respond, 5 arrested, Harrismith, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 17, 2021]

• 81-year-old Roger Ferguson fatally shot a home invader moments after two individuals attempted to break into his farmhouse in the Bedford area of Eastern Cape province.

One of the intruders opened fire prompting the elderly farmer to retrieve a rifle and return fire. Police confiscated the rifle and began a murder investigation, though no arrests were made.

The incident occurred August 18, 2021.

[Farm attack, farmer (81) returns fire killing one attacker, Bedford, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 19, 2021]

• Home invaders ransacked a home near Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape province after binding then locking a farmer and his wife in the house's restroom.

Reports say five heavily armed intruders wearing balaclavas gained entry by hurling a large stone through glass. The thieves made off with two flat screen televisions, jewelry, a laptop, cellphones, liquor, firearms, and other items. The couple managed to free themselves and triggered an alarm.

The incident occurred August 19, 2021.

[Farm attack, 5 heavily armed attackers assault, tie up couple, Hankey, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 20, 2021]

• A shepherd was seriously injured on a farm in the Lothair area in the Mpumalanga province when assaulted by an unknown number of attackers.

The victim was hospitalized. Police made no arrests. The incident occurred August 20, 2021.

[Farm attack, shepherd hospitalised after serious assault, Lothair, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 21, 2021]

• A 47-year-old woman was assaulted, raped, and robbed during a farm attack in the Breyten area, in the Mpumalanga province.

The woman was “raped by an unknown number of attackers”, but only one arrest has been made. The incident occurred August 10, 2021.

[Farm attack, woman (47) assaulted, raped, Breyten, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 21, 2021]

• A farm manager was attacked near an enclosure of sheep on a farm in Welbekend in the Gauteng province.

The four assailants fled after another manager alerted the local farm watch. The suspects made off with four rams. The victim was not seriously injured.

The incident occurred August 22, 2021.

[Farm attack, farm manager assaulted, sheep stolen, Welbekend, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 23, 2021]

• A man along with his wife and daughter were victims of a farm attack in the Botrivier area in the Western Cape province.

Reports say the attackers robbed the family of firearms and cell phones before fleeing. No serious injuries or arrests were reported.

The incident occurred August 24, 2021.

[Farm attack, family overpowered, firearms robbed, Kleinmond, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 25, 2021]

• 94-year-old Hanlie Geldenhuis died after being shot during a farm attack in Fochville in the Gauteng province.

Geldenhuis suffered two bullet wounds in her abdomen, was hospitalized in critical condition, and would have required surgery had she survived. The incident occurred August 27, 2021.

[Farm murder: Hanlie Geldenhuis (94) has sadly passed away, Kalbasfontein, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 28, 2021]

• A farmer survived an axe attack in Muldersdrift in the Gauteng province.

Reports say Ashley Gibbon was lured outside his home by dimmed utility lights. After checking the utility pole, Gibbon was ambushed by five attackers as he returned to his home. Having been struck in the head with an axe, the farmer was dragged to a field. A gardener who responded to the victim’s screams was also set upon by the attackers. The two victims were forced back into the house where the attackers demanded the safe be opened. The gardener managed to escape and sought help. The attackers made off with two laptops, three cell phones and a pistol.

The incident occurred August 24, 2021.

[Farm attack, man survives axe attack, firearm stolen, Muldersdrift, attributed to Oorgrens veiligheid, SouthAfricaToday.com, August 31, 2021]