Man, 26, succumbs to injuries after farm attack in Hennenman

Eddie Hills, who had been in a critical condition after being stabbed in an attack on a farm in Hennenman on 5 November, succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, Netwerk24 reported.

Eddie’s 56-year-old father, Pieter Hills, was shot dead in the attack on the family’s farm, Zwartpan, near Hennenman in the Free State.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, Anna Bochedi, a domestic worker on the farm, found the two men at around 05:00 on Friday after she was called by Hills’ wife, Antoinette, who was concerned after trying in vain to get hold of her husband and son.

Bochedi alerted relatives after she found Hills’ body, as well as 26-year-old Eddie, who had been stabbed, police said.

Netwerk24, however, reported that Eddie had been shot in the neck, damaging his cervical vertebrae and trachea.

Eddie reportedly suffered a setback on Monday and the doctors declared him brain dead. However, his heart continued to beat until Wednesday. He would have been a quadriplegic, had he survived.

Free State police have arrested four people in connection with the attack.

One of the suspects, a 47-year-old man, was found hanging in his cell in the early hours of Saturday morning, News24 reported.

Mojalefa Modise (38) appeared in the Hennenman Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning and Patrick Bochedi, 36, his co-accused, on Monday, according to Netwerk24.

Bochedi reportedly grew up on the farm.

They will appear in court for a bail application on 16 November. The police are expected to make more arrests.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.