Two of the five black men who are suspected of a cruel hatchet-attack against Afrikaners Manie de Beer 70 and Rachael Groenewald 48 at the Leeupoort holiday resort in Rooiberg on February 28 2014, appeared in court on March 10 2014:
-- Picture (pagegrab): Trymore Munetsi en Petrus Zondi Sithole, photographed at their arrest by the SAPS, appeared in court on charges of attempted robbery and robbery. Two of the other attackers are still at large. Police shot dead one in a gunfight before Munetsi and Sithole were arrested on the farm Rietfontein. The SAPS were unable to say at this stage what items were 'robbed' from the couple. The hatchet-attack left behind a gruesome scene: a blood-covered bed and drag-marks tell the story of the extent of the attack against the two unarmed Afrikaners - who were sleeping. A court official said at Sithole's and Munetsi's first remand appearance on March 3 2014 that 'further charges can be brought against the two due to the extent of the crime". Their bail application was heard in court on Monday March 10 2014.
The SAPS said that they had been searching for Munetsi for a long time because of other crimes and he will not be able to apply for bail.
Sithole would be applying for bail.
POTCHEFSTROOM - article by Andries van der Heyde - Five black men with hatchets attacked the Afrikaner couple Manie de Beer 70 and Rachael Groenewald 48 on February 28 2014
in their cottage at the Leeupoort holiday resort, Rooiberg: The former residents of Warmbaths suffered a nightmare-experience after the five 'robbers' started hacking away at them while they were asleep.
The hatchet-men then tied up the couple and fled. (*Note from editor: It's not mentioned exactly what was 'robbed' in this article)...
After the men fled Ms Groenewald managed to get out of her bonds and escaped through a bathroom window and raised the alarm.
There was a very quick response from the SAPS members of Rooiberg and Warmbaths, the SAPS K9 unit, community policing forum members as well as from the anti-rhino-poaching unit and Leeupoort mine security officials.
Leeupoort farmer Ben Cohen told the Post newspaper journalist Andries van der Heyde that a well-organized action was mounted at once: the farmers blocked off the roads around Leeupoort while the police units mounted a search.
It wasn't long before they cornered the five men -- Cohen said three of the men tried to flee past his homestead, jumping across the fencing to the farm Rietfontein.
SAPS Rooiberg lt FA Mukawana said the men were cornered and a gunfight which apparently ensued between the police and the suspects, one of the five men was shot dead.
Two of the suspected hatchet-men were arrested about 400 metres inside the Rietfontein farm. Mukawana said two other suspects remain missing.
Tromar ambulance service paramedic André Venter said Ms Groenewald was in stabilised condition after the attack.
However Mr de Beer suffered severe structures when the men hacked him with the hatchets: he said the Afrikaner pensioner, 70, was 'covered in blood from head to toes' when paramedics rushed to help him.
De Beer and Groenewald were taken to Montana hospital in Pretoria. Tromar paramedic Gerrit Reynders said Ms Groenewald had undergone back-surgery a few weeks earlier.
It is suspected that the five hatchet-men climbed across the fence of the Leeupoort holiday resort along the R516 road to Thabazimbi.
It is believed that they walked some 5km to the cottage housing De Beer and Groenewald.
The SAPS was 'unable to say whether anything was robbed from the victims' however they describe the attack as an 'attempted robbery'.
The Leeupoort farmers Association issued a statement thanking the many people who led to the arrest of the two suspects.
At Trymore Munetsi and Petrus Zondi Sithole 's remand appearance on March 3 2014 the charge sheet showed that they were being charged only with attempted robbery and robbery.
The court official said 'additional charges can also be brought against them because of the extent of the crime.
The bail application for Zithole was heard on March 10. The SAPS said however that Munetsi was not eligible to apply for bail because they have been searching him 'for quite a while' for other crimes.
http://www.diepos.co.za/details/07-03-2014/gruaanval_op_leeupoort/23631
↧