Ex-Springbok probed for attempted murder
Former employee hospitalised after being injured in quad bike incident
AFORMER Springbok rugby player is being investigated for attempted murder after he allegedly rammed over a farmworker at the weekend. The suspect cannot be named as he had not been charged.
On Saturday, on his wine farm near Wellington, it is alleged that the former rugby player went on a rampage charging at an ex-farm employee, running him over twice with his quad bike.
The farmworker, Johannes Bitterhoud, 40, was rushed to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said: “An attempted murder case was opened for investigation. No arrest has been made as yet and the investigation continues.”
According to Alvina Abrahams, vicechairwoman of the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa, Bitterhoud was standing outside his home on the farm when the man attacked him verbally, allegedly hurling derogatory slurs at him.
“He told Johannes to f*** off his farm and then ran him over twice.
“This all happened in front of Johannes’s 14-year-old daughter,” Abrahams said.
She said yesterday that Bitterhoud was at his home. He had sustained injuries to the chest, arm and legs.
Bitterhoud and his family have been living on the former rugby player’s farm for almost a decade. Three years ago, the farm owner fired Bitterhoud for allegedly stealing construction equipment.
Since then, Bitterhoud has remained on the farm, but works for another farmer.
On Sunday, Abrahams and a group of farmworkers and supporters held a picket outside the former rugby player’s farm, demanding he hand himself over to the police.
Abrahams said: “This is the highest form of racism of which we are trying to get away from.”
Last year, the former rugby player was in hot water for hurling racist slurs at a female farmworker.
“We need to put a stop to this. Where is our justice? Why is there no justice for the poor? Life is hard – people are stepping on our people. The same justice that applies to him (the former rugby player) must apply to us as well. If we can get arrested for stealing an apple, the man should be arrested for attempted murder as well. We can’t sweep this under the carpet,” said Abrahams.
Attempts to reach the former rugby player for comment were unsuccessful.