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A grim atmosphere has gripped the Free State town of Hennenman after a prominent farmer and his son were brutally attacked.
Pieter Hills was killed at the Zwartpan farm, and his 26-year-old son Eddie was seriously injured.
The two men were previously reported to have been found by the family’s domestic worker, Anna Bochedi, early Friday morning. The attack took place around 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
An unknown number of suspects were involved in the attack, they had plenty of time to flee the scene and only stole pistols.
Advisor to the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Hennenman, Maxie Badenhorst, said The citizen that Eddie will be airlifted to Milpark Hospital.
Pieter Hills. Image: Netcare911
Badenhorst revealed that on the night of the attack, a woman who regularly goes to the gym with Eddie chose not to enter the house to have her usual drink and chat. She told Eddie that she was feeling sick and wanted to go home, and left the facility.
Minutes later, the attackers pounced on an unsuspecting Eddie, at which point his father was already tied up.
Badenhorst said reports indicate that Eddie was shot after a fight, after which Pieter was shot and killed.
Eddie was initially reported to have been stabbed, after a doctor at the scene was reportedly unable to establish whether the wound was the result of a knife or a gunshot wound. It’s encouraging that Eddie was able to speak on Friday morning.
Badenhorst said investigations so far reveal that the group of attackers took a path through the veld after the attack, until they hit the road, after which they took a car towards Hennenman.
“It seems they knew his movements. They knew Pieter was alone, “Badenhorst said, adding that a friend of Eddie’s told him that” there were too many [attackers] for him to win the fight.
He said the attackers would be difficult to find as they had an estimated 12-hour window to escape.
Pieter’s wife, Antoinette, and their daughters Rochelle and Carmen, were not at home at the time of the attack.
“The community and its workers loved Pieter. He really was a special kind of person. He was that guy in a small town, everyone I spoke to loved him.
“Eddie is a fighter, he’s a big sporty guy, a rugby player. We just hope it gets through. If he recovers, he will make a difference in the city. It will bring back a little bit of positivity. “
Eddie’s girlfriend, Marizanè du Plessis, took to social media on Friday and asked people to pray for her safety.
I don’t usually publish, but today it is tremendously important.
My boyfriend in the photo, is a Hennenman farmer who is currently fighting for …
Posted by Marizanè du Plessis on Thursday, November 5, 2020
Badenhorst said the community was in shock and sadness after the “senseless” attack.
He said the owner of the Pick n Pay store described the attack as “the worst thing that could have happened to the town,” adding that he knew the family personally, and “I can’t even speak meaningfully right now. This does not make sense.
With tensions in farming communities across the country already high over the murder of farm foreman Brendin Horner in Senekal, also in the Free State, Badenhorst said the timing of the Hills attack was “very bad.” There was also a municipal election in Hennenman scheduled for next week.
Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said The citizen that the police had “a competent team of investigators assigned to investigate this matter” and that farmers in the area were working with the police to help find the suspects.
“We call on the agricultural community to remain calm and allow the police space to investigate this case.”
Additional Reports from News24 Wire
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