No arrests yet after Pretoria farmer shot dead in front of wife and brother
A farm activist has called for urgent government intervention, saying authorities must confront rising rural violence before tensions escalate further.
Police are still searching for suspects responsible for the fatal shooting of a 69-year-old farmer during a robbery on a smallholding in the Kromdraai and Grootvlei area near Hammanskraal in Pretoria, where his wife and brother were forced to witness the attack, reports Pretoria Rekord.
Local police spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk said preliminary investigations indicate that three men gained access to the main house on the property, where the victim’s brother had been sleeping.
The attackers tied him up and forced him to accompany them to the flat where Struwig and his wife lived.
Struwig was shot shortly after opening the door to the flat, while the men stole household items and fled in his vehicle.
The robbers then loaded various household and garden items into a silver Volkswagen Passat, believed to be a 2005 model, which was parked outside the residence.
One of the men drove away in the vehicle, while the other two fled shortly afterwards. The vehicle reportedly belonged to Struwig.
Police in Hammanskraal have opened cases of murder and house robbery. No arrests have been made, and investigations are continuing.
Police have appealed to members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist in identifying and arresting the suspects.
Struwig’s wife and brother were left severely traumatised by the ordeal.
Struwig was described as a loving and caring person who always had time for others and was willing to help.
Meanwhile, farm-crime activist Petrus Phakamile Sitho has called for urgent intervention following the killing.
Sitho said farmers and members of the community are expected to hold a large safety meeting on June 13 to discuss attacks and killings in the area.
He said he had written to acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia asking him to attend the meeting and address the community’s concerns.
“When a farmer or farm worker is killed, no one in a high position wants to come. This time, the minister must come. We need answers. Enough is enough,” Sitho said.
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