Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has commended the police for tracking down and arresting two suspects following the brutal murder of a 71-year-old farmer and his 65-year-old wife. The two were murdered on Wednesday afternoon and their farmhouse set on fire during an apparent house robbery.
The suspects were apprehended following a massive manhunt after the implementation of the 72-hour activation plan that was ordered by Hadebe shortly after the couple's bodies were discovered.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that the farmer and his wife were allegedly accosted by suspects who ransacked the farmhouse and took several items including firearms and loaded them onto the farmer's bakkie. The suspects then set the farmhouse on fire, with the farmer and his wife still inside. The victims were burned beyond recognition. They were identified as the 71-year-old Mr Louis Cloete and his 65-year-old wife, Ina.
Hadebe praised the members and all other stakeholders who assisted in the hunt for the suspects for their dedication which led to this success. A search for a remaining suspect is continuing.
Anyone with the Information that can lead to the arrest of the remaining suspect is requested to contact the Investigating Officer Captain Mashudu Lesley Muneri at Tel 082 469 1260, the Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or their nearest police station.