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- Two men have been arrested for the murder of winegrower Stefan Smit more than a year after he was shot dead.
- It is understood that the two of them worked closely with him.
- A third suspect managed to evade arrest and was being wanted, police said.
More than a year after Stellenbosch vintner Stefan Smit was shot and killed during an apparent robbery, two men believed to have worked closely with him have been arrested for his murder.
A third suspect was sought, believed to be a close relative.
Smit, 62, was shot and killed in a house robbery in Louiesenhof on June 2, 2019.
Four armed suspects had entered the home through an open door while he, his wife Zurenah and a family friend were having dinner.
READ | Stellenbosch in shock after a well-known winegrower was shot and killed in an attack
He was shot several times in the head and upper body. His wife and guest had not been injured.
The suspects were presumed to have fled with just two cell phones and a handbag, bypassing security measures such as a double fencing system, electric fence and barbed wire.
Authorities, at the time, said they did not believe his murder was related to the sale of Watergang, adjacent to Louisenhof, which was occupied last year by stragglers from Kayamandi.
The municipality bought the land, renamed Azania, for R45 710,000.
READ HERE | Triple arrest after attack on farm outside Stellenbosch
Smit’s family owned Watergang through a trust.
Police sources at the time told News24 that the incident did not have the characteristics of a “typical” attack on a farm.
Western Cape Police spokesman Colonel Andre Traut said detectives executed search warrants at three residences in Bellville South, Milnerton and Wynberg in the early hours of Thursday.
“Two male suspects aged 50 and 56 were arrested and are due to appear in court in Stellenbosch [on Friday] to face the murder charge against him, “he said.
“A third suspect, a 54-year-old woman, managed to evade arrest this morning and is being wanted.”
READ ALSO | Three captured after woman strangled in attack on Delmas farm
At his funeral, Smit’s friend Pieter Haasbroek said they had been considering emigration, weighing Iceland and Uruguay as safe places to settle, as they were concerned about the well-being of their families, due to crime in the country.
He had told the mourners that Smit had had endless security measures that had failed to prevent his killers from accessing his home.
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