Alleged farmer killer beaten to death by angry residents

The man who allegedly robbed and killed Bokkie Potgieter on a farm in Gluckstad just outside Vryheid, in KwaZulu-Natal, has died after being assaulted by residents, Vryheid Herald reports.

Yesterday, as protesters came together to march against farm murders and, dressed in black, took to social media to show their support, Potgieter was brutally attacked.

Potgieter, believed to be in his 70s, was a private man who lived alone. At 10am yesterday morning, a man is said to have entered his home and attempted to steal his bakkie.

A struggle ensued and the alleged robber allegedly slashed Potgieter in the face and head with a panga.

Witnesses reported seeing the suspect loading Potgieter onto the bakkie and driving off. The farmer was still alive at the time, but bleeding profusely.

The alleged robber crashed Potgieter’s bakkie into a pole 800m from where the attack took place.

He tried to restart the bakkie but due to extensive damages

A struggle ensued and the alleged robber slashed Potgieter in the face and head with a panga.

from the crash, only made it a further 500m along the farm road before the vehicle came to a standstill.

By then, residents, who were drawn by the commotion, noticed Potgieter’s feet hanging out of the window and approached the vehicle to investigate.

When they realised what had happened, residents in the area decided to take the law into their own hands and beat the alleged suspect until police and paramedics arrived.

By then, Potgieter had already died. Paramedics’ attempts to assist the alleged robber proved fruitless and he succumbed to his injuries.

Last year, thousands of black men and women marched to the Vryheid police station following the murders of well-loved farmers Billy van Rooyen and Ronnie Lombard.

The march was to show the killing of farmers affects everybody negatively, regardless of race. – Caxton News Service