Police Launch Manhunt After Elderly Couple Killed on Joburg Farm

Gauteng police have reportedly launched a manhunt for an unknown number of suspects after an elderly couple – Fanie and Colleen Engelbrecht – were killed on their farm Welgevonden, Westonaria, on the West Rand, South Africa. UPDATE 17 July 2020: Farm attackers sentenced for murder of Fanie and Colleen Engelbrecht.

The SABC says details of the murders – which took place on Saturday – are still “sketchy”.

According to Netwerk24, it was their son who discovered their bodies, still dressed in their clothes from church.

The suspects escaped after stealing a firearm, cell phones and various household appliances, says the SABC.

South African Police Services (SAPS) Gauteng spokesperson Kay Makhubele said: “On Saturday night we had an incident of house robbery where an old lady and old man were killed during the house robbery, and their belongings in the house were stolen.

“We are investigating a case of house robbery and also murder and calling for anyone who might have information’s to contact the police.”

The South African Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, and the Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, recently released the first official South African farm attack and murder statistics, after an 11 year silence.

The figures showed that over the last six years since 2012, there were 3059 farm attacks altogether (on average, that is 509,8 per year) in which 338 people were killed (on average, which is 56,3 per year).

According to the police chief, most farm attacks took place in the North West province (722 attacks) and Gauteng (644 attacks).

The province with the highest number of farm murders during this time, however, was Gauteng (69 murders) and then the North West and KwaZulu-Natal (61 murders each).

The DA said on Monday that the “horrific murders” of the Engelbrechts, and another attack on another couple in Westonaria, are “sad tales of the escalating attacks on people living and working on farms and small holdings in Gauteng”.

It must be noted that several other non-farm murders would have taken place over the weekend in South Africa – where the average daily murder rate is 52 – which have not been reported on.