Two men arrested after Free State farm manager killed, tied to pole

Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Free State farm manager Brendin Horner.

The arrests were made on Saturday by Senekal detectives at Fateng tse Ntho in Paul Roux, police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele confirmed on Sunday.

“Bloodstained clothes and shoes were found and will be taken in for forensic tests. The two men are alleged to be stock thieves and it is suspected that the deceased could have spotted them on that fateful day,” said Makhele.

The 21-year-old farm manager of De Rots was found in an open space in Paul Roux, around 06:30 on Friday. He had been murdered and tied, with a rope around his neck, to a pole. He had serious injuries to his head and face.

A knife was found near the scene.

Horner’s Toyota Hilux was found abandoned and with bloodstains near Duikfontein Farm in the same area.

The arrests came after Gilly Scheepers, owner of the Bloukruin Boerdery where Horner worked, offered a R50 000 reward.

Scheepers confirmed the reward “had already worked” by leading to the arrests on Saturday afternoon.

He added that offering a reward was something he would have done for any of his staff.

“[Horner] was working for me. Anyone who works for me is like family. Farming is a people business and without your people there can be no farm,” he says.

The two suspects, aged 32 and 43, will appear in the Senekal Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

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