A 24-year-old man appeared in the Ubombo Magistrate’s Court on June 19 for possession of a bag containing three pairs of shoes and safe keys, allegedly stolen from a murder victim.
The suspect was arrested by Pongola detectives a day after Jacobus Casparus Lambrecht (65) was found dead on his kitchen floor. Lambrecht was an employee of Sunlands Farms in the Pongola area. Investigating officers found the door of the victim’s house wide open; there were no signs of forced entry and the house’s keys were on the table. However, it is alleged that the perpetrator gained entry to the property through a cut fence. Lambrecht was found with his legs tied with brown Cellotape, his arms tied with a cell-phone charger, and his mouth gagged. The suspect took the victim’s bag, three pairs of shoes, three firearms and safe keys before fleeing the scene in the victim’s vehicle. Lambrecht was alone at the time of the attack. His vehicle was found abandoned later the same day on the N2 freeway in Mkhuze. A postmortem will determine the exact cause of death. DA KZN spokesperson on Agriculture & Rural Development, Chris Pappas, expressed the party’s concern towards the brutality and violence that often accompanies farm murders and attacks. This incident has come as a massive shock for both the family and the community. The attack follows a week after the murder of a well-known KZN Midlands resident. Pappas said that, “The government – at both provincial and national level – continues to fail to prioritise the lives of those living in rural communities, while much of the world remains unaware of the brutality taking place.”
The DA has launched an initiative called ‘The Network’. This project creates a platform for the public to send a letter of condolence or prayers, which the DA will pass on to the families of victims of farm attacks and farm murders in KwaZulu-Natal. To send your message, refer to the DA KZN Legislature Facebook Page. The DA expresses its sincere condolences on this tragic loss of life. The suspect appeared in court this week on murder charges.
ALSO READ: Elderly farmer survives savage beating in Paulpietersburg farm attack
Make sure you follow us on our social media platforms for regular updates