Merwe Terreblanche, safety coordinator at Verkykerskop, says the suspects apparently gained access to the house through a window.  

According to the VKB/FSA Safety Desk’s information, the suspects demanded cash from Steyn, and he was stabbed with a knife during the incident. The suspects held him for about an hour and a half, after which they fled with his bakkie, cell phone and other items. Steyn had a hidden phone in the house, and called his sister to ask for help after the suspects left.

He was stabbed in the heart and had an emergency operation. His condition is critical but stable and he is being treated in a hospital in Bethlehem. The bakkie was found close to Qwaqwa on Monday morning 6 March 2017.

The local safety structure wants to express its sincere gratitude towards all the farmers' associations that reacted swiftly and in large numbers on their emergency call. Farmers as far as Bethlehem closed roads.

Henk Vermeulen, chief executive officer of Free State Agriculture (FSA), says the organisation is grateful for the reaction of farmers and the Police on their emergency call. “The organisation condemns the incident in the strongest possible terms. This was the second farm attack in the province in a week. Crime and farm attacks are and remain unacceptable for FSA. There is a big problem in our society with a spirit that exists to use crime and violence to express frustration or dissatisfaction. Therefore, we want to again encourage farmers to please be vigilant and to strictly apply basic safety measures on their farms while they also become and stay part of local safety structures.”

Vermeulen says it is encouraging to know that many ground structures follow pro-active steps in cooperation with the Police to prevent farm attacks in the province. “We know of farm attack practice sessions that took place in other areas of the province on Sunday, despite the current negative sentiment.”

According to the desk’s statistics, this was the eighth farm attack in the province this year, with three farmers and five farm workers targeted. No murder have been recorded for the Free State this year.

Tommie Esterhuyse, chairperson of FSA’s Rural Safety Committee, says meetings with several roleplayers, including the Police, take place on a continuous basis and it is extremely important that all roleplayers take hands and work together within the framework of the Rural Safety Plan. “In the end, the cooperation is about the safety of our farmers and to prevent incidents and loss of life, and that remains our main focus.”  

Statement supplied by FSA