A farm attack in Grabouw left a couple tied up after armed suspects broke into their home on Saturday night. Jewellery, cellelar telephones and a firearm was stolen during the robbery.

The victims, an adult male and female, were asleep when they were woken by suspects who entered the premises through a bathroom window. Reports claim that the attack took place at Elgin Valley. This area is situated approximately 20km from Grabouw next to the Sonderend River.

Police have confirmed that the suspects were armed with knives and a crowbar.

According to Sergeant Wesley Twigg of provincial police, the victims were tied up while the suspects searched the property. They took the items including an iPod before fleeing the scene.

Police have not provided any information on whether any suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident.

A recurring theme

The Grabouw incident comes weeks after Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais condemned a farm attack in Stellenbosch in July.

A couple at Neethlingshof Farm in Stellenbosch was attacked and assaulted on 24 July.

In that incident, the couple were confronted in their home by three armed assailants wearing balaclavas and armed with crowbars.

The attackers assaulted the couple before stealing items from the residence. Both victims sustained serious injuries and were admitted to hospital.

Marais described that attack as “a cruel and senseless act of violence”. The minister also called on police to “use every available investigative and intelligence resource” to identify and arrest those responsible.

She also said that attacks on farmers and farm workers affect more than individual victims and families.

“An attack on a farmer or farm worker is not merely an attack on an individual or a family,” Marais said. “It is an attack on South Africa’s food security and the livelihoods that sustain our economy and communities.”

Following the Stellenbosch attack, Marais called for greater collaboration, improved intelligence sharing, enhanced policing capacity and additional policing resources for rural communities.

She also urged rural and agricultural communities to remain vigilant and work closely with law-enforcement agencies.

Marais said that timely reporting, information sharing and partnerships between communities and law enforcement are important in preventing crime. This approach also helps bring perpetrators to justice.

Wearing balaclavas

Meanwhile, a couple living on a farm in the Koelenhof area near Stellenbosch were also overpowered in their home by three men on 4 September. The three suspects were all wearing balaclavas.

The Grabouw incident has again involved armed suspects entering a farming property at night. Although police have not indicated whether it is connected to the Stellenbosch attack or any other incident.

Another elderly couple were reportedly attacked on a farm in De Wildt on 11 September, with both sustaining injuries. The couple was attacked on a farm on Zilkaatsnek, in Madibeng Local Municipality, North West Province around 23:00.

They both sustained head wounds and were treated by paramedics on the scene. Police are investigating a house robbery.

Police are appealing to anyone with information about the Grabouw robbery to come forward anonymously through Crime Stop or MySAPS.