SCORES of farmers from Harrismith in the Free State have picketed outside the Tsheseng Magistrates Court on Thursday, 27 July where a farmer's suspected killers appeared.
The seven accused face charges of house robbery, murder, theft and possession of stolen property.
This after the body of Michael Andre Pattison (67), who was last seen on Saturday, 22 July, was found at a house in Tsheseng Village, along with his stolen belongings on Monday, 24 July.
The police arrested the seven suspects in Tsheseng Village following a reported house robbery, theft of motor vehicle and murder at Pattison's home on Summerslie farm between Harrismith and QwaQwa.
The victim's brother called the police after they couldn't find him. The brother said his farmworkers told him they last saw him when they knocked off on Saturday at about 5pm. Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said the police arrived at the house and discovered that there were signs of a house break-in and possible laptops and a Toyota Urban Cruiser were also missing. The tracker, Netstar, was involved and the vehicle was located at Tsheseng Village in Qwaqwa next to a tavern.
"The various police units in Qwaqwa, including Tsheseng police, were activated to search for the vehicle, which was discovered in the same area occupied by seven people who fled the scene upon noticing that they were being pursued by police. There was a shooting which occurred during the chase in which police managed to arrest all the seven suspects, including two women. Two people were injured and kept under police guard at a local hospital," said Mophiring.
During the arrest, one suspect was found in possession of a toy gun. Mophiring said police searched the house where the vehicle was seen and found Pattison's body with open wounds and certified dead by local Emergency Medical Service personnel.
"Two laptops and camera suspected to belong to deceased were recovered," he said.
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George Galloway, the chairman of the Harrismith farmers union and Pattison's family member, said the incident had left family in a devastated state as they feel robbed of their innocent brother.
"We will gun for good a lawyer who will assist the court to send the accused in prison for the longest time. I want to put on record that farmers are under attack. Those heartless suspects took his belongings and subsequently murdered him," he said.
DA member in the Free State legislature Loina Kleynhans called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to advance the rural safety strategy.
"The rural safety strategy is not working properly under Minister Bheki Cele. We know where the farm is located. There is one police officer looking after several farms with one police vehicle. They don't have manpower to protect everybody," said Kleynhans
The Freedom Front Plus Councillor in Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality, Charl Kalamer, condemned farm murders, regardless of race. Kalamer said there was a serious communication breakdown between the police and people working with cops.
The accused include Amos Ngcongwane, Lephosa Motaung, Teboho Mothibedi, Simpiwe Molaba, Siyabonga Maphalala, as well as accused six and seven, who are still under police guard in hospital.
The case has been postponed to Monday, 31 July.
