Activists demand police action after farmer murdered in Hammanskraal

Community activists have called for urgent police intervention after a 69-year-old man was shot dead during a house robbery at a smallholding in Hammanskraal. The killing has prompted residents north of Pretoria to organise a safety meeting for mid‑June.

What happened

Tshwane district South African Police Service spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk said police were dispatched to a complaint of house robbery and murder at a smallholding on Seren Street, Kromdraai, in Hammanskraal, where officers discovered the body of a 69‑year‑old white male who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

According to the police account, three male suspects gained entry to the main house, where the deceased’s brother was sleeping. The brother reported that the suspects tied him up and forced him to accompany them to an outside room occupied by the deceased and his wife.

The brother said the deceased opened the door to the room and was then shot. Emergency Medical Services declared the victim dead at the scene. Items were loaded into a silver Volkswagen Passat, believed to be a 2005 model; one suspect drove away in the vehicle while the other two left the scene shortly afterwards. Cases of house robbery and murder have been registered and no arrests have been made, van Dyk said.

Community response and planned meeting

Members of the Lusthof community, north of Pretoria, plan to mobilise against farm attacks and murders following the killing. Farm crime activist Petrus Sitho said urgent intervention was needed and invited residents and Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to join a safety meeting planned for 13 June to discuss attacks and killings in the area.

“Enough is enough,” he said.

Calls from AfriForum

AfriForum community safety spokesperson Jacques Broodryk said the government’s silence regarding the 10 farm attacks and related violent incidents reported during May showed a failure to recognise the seriousness of the crime. He said the attacks involved high levels of violence and included victims being assaulted, tied up and seriously injured.

Broodryk cited separate incidents in which two farm workers in the Zebediela area of Limpopo were shot while attempting to flee. He also listed attacks affecting families in Delmas, Stellenbosch and De Wildt, and said several other attacks had been thwarted by local security and community safety structures.

“The reality is that farmers, farm workers and rural residents continue to be exposed to extremely violent attacks.”

Investigation under way

Police have registered cases of house robbery and murder for investigation and said enquiries are continuing. No arrests have been reported.