Western Cape farmer airlifted to hospital after attack
Two men found hiding in bushes with blood-stained clothing have been arrested after a farmer was brutally assaulted in Lamberts Bay.
A farmer (65) is in critical condition in hospital with severe head trauma after being assaulted on the R365 road near a farm outside Lamberts Bay yesterday at 11:54.
It is believed that the farmer had discovered two men trying to steal his cattle.
The men have been arrested and are expected to appear in the Lamberts Bay Magistrate’s Court once they are charged.
Elowayne Gouws, the director of West Coast Medical Rescue, says they received multiple calls for assistance.
Airlifted
Gouws says the farmer suffered severe head trauma and was treated at the scene by a local doctor. Paramedics later stabilised him before he was airlifted to hospital by Netcare911. “Our thoughts are with the patient and his family during this time,” he adds.
‘Unsafe and helpless’
Albert Burger, a farmer from the area, says he was notified about the incident via a community WhatsApp group.
“I drove to the scene and saw him being stabilised by a doctor. I decided to gather about 15 other residents and we began searching for the suspects. We found them hiding,” he says.
Burger adds that this is the third crime in the area he is aware of in recent weeks.
“I had sheep stolen about two weeks ago and so did another neighbour.”
He says they report all incidents to the police, but claims they only ‘respond swiftly when the attacks are brutal’.
“I have lived on the farm since I was a child; now I feel unsafe and helpless,” he says.
Justice system eroded
Willem de Chavonnes Vrugt, the president of Agri SA, says crime against farmers is not only a policing issue but also a prosecuting one.
He says the justice system as a whole has eroded and must improve.
Captain FC van Wyk, the Western Cape police spokesperson, says that while the victim was taken to the hospital, two suspects were spotted hiding in the bushes.
Blood-stained clothing
“The suspects had blood stains on their clothes and near the scene, a slaughtered sheep was found that was hidden in the bushes,” he says.
Police are investigating a case of attempted murder and stock theft.
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