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Farmers in the Western Cape have been accused of assaulting a man.
- Anthony Koopman was reportedly assaulted in Murraysburg in February.
- Two farmers, father and son, Ludwig and Karel van Heerden, are being tried in the court of first instance, charged with assault.
- Koopman claims he was looking for work, while the defendant claims he was stealing livestock.
Two farmers will appear in Murraysburg Magistrates Court this month for assault with intent to cause serious bodily harm.
They are accused of assaulting a man who was passing by his farm on a bicycle on the night of February 9.
Anthony Koopman of Murraysburg said the attack left him with serious head injuries and epileptic seizures.
Captain Malcolm Pojie, a spokesman for Southern Cape SAPS, confirmed that Murraysburg detectives initially investigated an attempted murder case.
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“The investigation into this matter revealed that 42 years [Koopman] he was riding his bicycle when he was approached by two men. He suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital in George for medical attention, “Pojie said.
He said the incident took place on the R63, near Murraysburg.
“A further investigation led to the arrest of the two defendants aged 71 and 37. They were subsequently charged with assault with intent to commit serious bodily injury … The time of the alleged incident was around 9:00 p.m. “, He said.
According to Koopman, he was looking for work when he passed a farm in the Bloupoort area near Murraysburg. He said a man yelled at him to stop, which he did.
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“He came up to me and hit me in the face with his gun.”
He said the man called his father who arrived in a car.
Threatened
“The farmer almost ran over me. Then he threatened me with a gun and shot me with bullets,” he said.
Koopman said he can’t remember much after this. “I didn’t wake up for a while.”
He was later treated at George Hospital for a skull fracture and received stitches to his head.
The two men are Ludwig van Heerden and his father Karel van Heerden. They appeared in Murraysburg Magistrates Court in September and pleaded not guilty. They are due to return to court on October 19.
His attorney, Arno Bouwer, told GroundUp that it doesn’t make sense that Koopman went looking for work so late at night. He said one of the Van Heerden farmers had woken up and went out when he heard his dogs barking. The farmer allegedly saw Koopman chasing part of his cattle.
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Bouwer said one of the men undoubtedly pulled Koopman off his bike, “after he tried to stop him and Anthony did not want to stop because he was a suspect.”
He said the farmers then called the police and ambulance service. Bouwer has blamed the police for not conducting a proper investigation at the scene.
Community outrage
Neville van Rooy, a community activist from Murraysburg, organized a demonstration in front of the Murraysburg Magistrates Court on September 17.
He said the case against the farmers was important to the community because there have been two similar attacks in the past.
“Even while [these incidents] they have been reported to the police, it has not given the results that the community wants, “he said.
Van Rooy said he was recently involved in a case in which a farmer shot a man in the foot. This was just one of many farmworker complaints she had dealt with while working for an organization called the Land Change Support Center.
Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren, also from the Land Change Support Center, said Koopman has lost all job prospects due to his injuries, so he will seek a civil case against the farmers.
Koopman was called to testify in the case on Sept. 14 without having time to properly prepare. He was only notified of his appearance on Sept. 11, Janse van Vuuren said.
He said the organization was struggling to find out why Koopman was “interrogated” by the court without representation. He said the questioning made Koopman more anxious.
Koopman explained that due to his head injuries, he now suffers from epileptic seizures. He said his head injuries also cause him dizziness that often prevents him from sleeping. Koopman intends to start a civil case against the two farmers.
Janse van Vuuren said they will refer the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission.
