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By Lyse Comins 
16h ago
Durban – A prominent KwaZulu-Natal farmer and his wife were brutally murdered on their farm in Normandien on Saturday night.
Forensic police investigators combed the crime scene yesterday after the local Farm Watch manager and neighbors discovered the eerie scene.
The bodies of farmer and rancher Glen Rafferty and his wife, Vida, were found near the front door of their farmhouse in the early hours of the morning.
His dog was also killed.
KZN police spokesman Capt. Nqobile Gwala said Normandien SAPS was investigating murder charges. He said police had been alerted to the killings around 6 a.m.
“It is alleged that a 63-year-old man and his 60-year-old wife were shot and killed by unknown suspects while on a farm in Normandien. His dog was also shot and killed. The suspects ransacked the house and the cameras were destroyed. The suspects fled the scene with their vehicle. Later the vehicle was found abandoned in the Elandslaagte area, ”said Gwala.
Chess Security Farm Watch manager Dana Geel said that Rafferty and Vida had been last seen in their vehicle by security cameras in Newcastle around 9.15pm when they left town after a social visit to travel 45km to your farm. She said the couple was ambushed when they got home.
“People were waiting for them, they were already in the house and they had looted it. It didn’t seem like she had taken anything else except a laptop at this stage, ”she said.
Geel said the couple had entered the property and appeared to have been shot near the “stoep,” where he discovered their bodies around 5.25am. He added that the couple’s surviving dogs – a Saint Bernard, two Australian cattle dogs and a Jack Russell – appeared to be traumatized.
“When I got there, I took my flashlight and walked to the door where I could see the body of a woman and I could see that something was wrong. They had both been shot and one of their dogs, an Australian Cattle Dog, had been shot and was lying next to Rafferty’s body, ”Geel said.
Geel said he called one of the couple’s children to the scene and neighbors who were alerted through the Farm Watch network also arrived.
He said the couple were “very nice people.”
“They wouldn’t hurt anyone. They were just peaceful people, ”Geel said.
Sandy la Marque, president of the KZN (Kwanalu) Agricultural Union, said she was devastated when she received the news, as Rafferty was a “strong” leader and a former union board member and board member of the Farmers Association. of Normandy.
“It is a real personal blow because I met him personally, and it is a shock to the agricultural sector because we need leadership in our country at this time,” La Marque said.
“He was such a prominent member of the community and they have taken him away from us.
“He was a true gentleman. I used to deal with him often. He always considered other people and their points of view when it came to problems, ”he said.
La Marque said the union was “deeply concerned” about the increase in attacks and killings on farms since lockdown regulations were relaxed.
According to Kwanalu statistics, there have been five commercial farmer murders this year compared to two throughout last year.
He said the data does not include attacks and killings of people living in small properties and other rural homes.
“We call on all relevant stakeholders and leaders to take a much more proactive stance in helping the agricultural sector with the challenges that exist. We really need the upper echelons of government, and especially President Cyril Ramaphosa, to take strong and decisive action. The police in our province have been very good and have prioritized attacks on farms and murders, but we need much higher leadership and control, ”he said.
The killings came just hours after KZN motorcycle clubs met with thousands of motorcyclists from across the country in a national protest against the attacks and killings on farms.
East Coast Motorcycle Club President Pravesh Ramfol said club members had driven from Nandi Drive to eManzimtoti with white crosses symbolizing love and peace on their helmets and bikes to show solidarity with farmers.
At Cathkin Park in Central Drakensberg, The Nest hotel owner Stuart Longmore said he had staged a rally through Winterton and Bergville to the top of Oliviershoek Pass to plead with the government to do more to stop homestead killings.
KZN Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala yesterday strongly condemned the “senseless killings” and called on police to work around the clock to make the perpetrators take notice.
Zikalala said the local community had admired the farmer couple for their contribution to improving the lives of others.
“Farm killings remain a serious concern in the province. We condemn these murders in the strongest possible terms. The continued slaughter of farmers goes against the spirit of ubuntu. It is an accusation about the important contribution made by the agricultural community in improving our rural population, ”said Zikalala.
He called on all citizens to oppose the murders of farmers and protect farmers from criminal elements.
The Mercury
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