STELLENBOSCH – “A cruel and senseless act of violence.”

This is how Anroux Marais, minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety in the Western Cape, described the latest brazen and brutal attack that has sent shockwaves through the farming communities of Stellenbosch.

The attack on a husband and wife residing in a farmhouse on Neethlingshof Wine Farm along Polkadraai Road happened around 21:00 on Friday 24 July.

The incident follows several other house burglaries and armed attacks on farms and in neighbourhoods in the greater Stellenbosch area and Cape Winelands over the last couple of months.

ALSO READ: Couple attacked at their home on a Stellenbosch farm

Armed with crowbars

Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said Stellenbosch police are investigating a case of house robbery with aggravating circumstances.

“According to reports, the victims, a male and female who are the owners of the house, were accosted by three unidentified male suspects,” Van Wyk explained, adding that the suspects were wearing balaclavas.

“The suspects assaulted them with crowbars, then demanded the safe keys and took the firearms [from the safe]. They then fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla, leaving the couple badly injured.”

Both victims sustained serious injuries, which required hospitalisation, with the man needing emergency surgery.

Van Wyk said no arrests have been made.

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Bring assailants to book

In a statement released on Monday 27 July, Marais strong condemned the attack, calling on police to tap into all its resources to hunt down and arrest the attackers.

“This was a cruel and senseless act of violence. No person should have to endure such brutality in the safety of their own home,” the minister said.

“Those responsible must be identified, arrested, prosecuted and, if convicted, receive sentences that reflect the gravity of these crimes. I urge the police to utilise every available investigative and intelligence resource to track down those responsible and ensure that they are brought before the courts without delay. Violent criminals cannot be allowed to operate with impunity.”

Multi-pronged approach needed

Marais further said attacks on farmers and farm workers threaten food security and those who sustain the economy and communities.

“Our agricultural sector is the cornerstone of the Western Cape’s economy. Those who target our farming communities threaten not only lives but also the security and resilience of our rural economy,” she pointed out.

“This incident once again underscores the urgent need for greater collaboration, improved intelligence sharing, enhanced policing capacity and the allocation of additional policing resources to rural communities to strengthen crime prevention and improve policing outcomes.”

In a statement, Stellenbosch Municipality echoed the sentiment calling for improved partnerships in combatting these crimes. “The municipality continues to provide its full support to the police and all relevant law enforcement agencies,” the statement read.

“Within its legal mandate, Stellenbosch Municipality is doing everything possible to strengthen local safety and security through increased municipal Law Enforcement capacity, the procurement of additional law enforcement vehicles, the expansion of the municipal CCTV camera network and by providing safety and security stakeholders with access to the municipal control room.”

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Wave of attacks

Since April, the Cape Winelands and Helderberg have been hit by several attacks and burglaries, with the assailants allegedly clad in balaclavas in all the reported incidents.

In the most recent incident, Eikestadnuus reported on an armed robbery at a home in Onder-Papegaaiberg in the early hours of Sunday 5 July.

At the time, Stellenbosch police spokesperson Captain Nathalie Martin confirmed the family awoke to four armed men, wearing balaclavas and gloves, entering their home around 02:00. They are apparently armed with knives, a screwdriver and a crowbar.

The couple and their two children were tied up with shoelaces and kept in the main bedroom while the robbers searched the homes and the empty safe for valuables, before fleeing with laptops, cellphones, a television set and cash. No-one was injured in the incident.

A similar armed robbery took place in the neighbourhood on Wednesday 10 June, when a man was awakened by three robbers in his bedroom at 02:45.

Again, the victim was tied up with shoelaces and asked for valuables while threatening him with death. After informing the robbers that he had no cash, he was forced to do an electronic cash transfer, his vehicle cars were demanded and the robbers fled in his Volkswagen Polo with a cellphone, television set, kettle and shoes.

The victim was unscathed.

ALSO READ: Police confirm ‘crime syndicate’ is targeting farms in Raithby

Several groups

Eikestadnuus has also reported on similar incidents in Raithby, Stellenboschkloofweg, Bonniemile and Agter-Paarl, with Somerset West police spokesperson Sergeant Suzan Jantjies confirming the police in that precinct suspects a syndicate is targeting homes in the Raithby area.

A member of the local farm watch, who spoke to Eikestadnuus on condition of anonymity at the time of the Onder-Papegaaiberg incident said they suspect several groups – up to five – with the same modus operandi are committing the armed robberies and house break-ins.

Following the weekend’s incident, Marais called on rural communities to always be vigilant and work closely with authorities. “Report suspicious persons, unfamiliar vehicles, or unusual activities immediately to the police or local rural safety structures,” she urged.

“Timely reporting, information sharing and strong partnerships between communities and law enforcement remain the most effective tools in preventing crime and bringing perpetrators to justice.”

Anyone with information on any of the cases can report it to Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or on the MySAPS app.