Northern Cape hotel owner stabbed to death in his swimming pool

The police in Pofadder, a small town in the Northern Cape, are on the hunt for suspects following the discovery of a 40-year-old businessman’s body in his swimming pool.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Mohale Ramatseba, his body was found at around 11:45 on Wednesday.

Ramatseba said the deceased was found with several stab wounds to the chest.

“Although information is still sketchy at this stage, it is alleged that some valuable items were allegedly taken from the house.”

The man was identified as Leon Brits, the owner of the Pofadder Hotel, in a Netwerk24 report.

It reported Brits apparently told his brother this week that some staff members were stealing from the hotel kitchen.

A family friend told the publication it looked as though he was strangled with a dog chain and dragged to the pool.

Northern Cape FF Plus leader Wynand Boshoff said the murder had shocked the mostly peaceful region.

“In general, the carefree nature of the environment and the friendliness of the people are its strongest assets. Time will tell whether this incident brought a permanent end to it.”

He called on residents to keep calm as it was still not yet clear what had transpired.

“With the rising temperature following brutal killings, South Africa is currently experiencing an explosive situation,” Boshoff said.

He added while the onslaught on the safety of ordinary citizens should stop, people should also act responsibly and have good judgement.

Ramatseba said no arrests had been made yet and anyone with information that might assist the investigation should contact their nearest police station.

The Democratic Alliance in the Northern Cape has offered condolences to the family and friends of Brits.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time,” said DA’s Veronica Van Dyk.

It further condemned the escalating level of violent crime in the country, calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to act before it’s too late.

“The levels of crime that we are witnessing are simply unthinkable and inhumane. We cannot continue to live in a society where people are tortured to death on a daily basis and nothing is done about it.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa, government leaders and the police must come to the table now. They cannot allow this to continue. They need to act or otherwise be seen as being complicit in the ongoing massacre of people residing in outlying areas.We need drastically improved policing to stop the murders.

“We need more police officers, more resources and more upskilling of our police service. We need this today, not tomorrow or the next day because by then, more lives will have been unnecessarily lost. We also need more perpetrators arrested and convicted as a matter of urgency, because otherwise the cycle of crime and the fear will simply continue unabated.”

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