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- A Stuijt
- Retired South African medical journalist, ex-Sunday Times of Johannesburg.
Ferreira-couple escapes alive from Kameeldrift attack
16:15 | 
Posted by
A Stuijt |
Ferreira couple escapes alive from farm-attack, July 13 2010, Uitzicht, Kameeldrift Pretoria
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52-year-old Callie Ferreira and wife Tina, 48, were lying tied up on the floor of their smallholding homestead’s kitchen for 3 hours while 2 armed attackers ate sausages and drank soft-drinks from their fridge on July 13 2010 at Uitzicht Kameeldrift smallholdings, reports Hilda Fourie of Beeld newspaper. Mr Ferreira suffered cracked ribs from a beating. They feel lucky to be alive
Ferreira suffered cracked ribs after the attackers hit him with a pole on his back and knocked him to the floor as they stored into their kitchen. The other attacker was armed with a firearm.
The couple were attacked Wednesday-night on their Uitzicht smallholding home at Kameeldrift-West near Pretoria – according to our records the most-targetted areas for farm-attacks in South Africa.
The two men tied the couple ‘s hands behind their backs with shoelaces and then started demanding money, firearms, a computer and liquor. “After that first blow I expected them to shoot us dead any minute. One can’t really ever know what they will do. We just prayed because there was nothing else we could do,’ he said. After the men had eaten their filll and looted the place, they locked the Afrikaner couple in their bedroom and fled. Mr Ferreira bit through the shoelaces his wife’s hands had been tied up with -- and the couple also started screaming loudly to alert the neighbour – who woke up and alerted the police. SAPS warrant officer Louis de Bruin, said no-one was arrested. http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Rowers-smul-wyl-egpaar-op-vloer-le-20100714
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Cop prosecuted for shooting dead farm-murder suspect…
MAGALIESBURG. “The Government orders police officers to ‘Shoot to Kill’ – but when warrant-officer B Mmatli shot dead Derick Mabasa, a fleeing and dangerous murderer of Brits farmer Brink Botha on 3 November 2008, the policeman had to face the ordeal of suspension on unpaid leave and a gruelling internal discliplinary hearing which also demoralised his fellow officers at the local police station…
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Brits Attorney Cerneels Lourens took up the gauntlet on behalf of local SAPS warrant-officer Mmatli after his arrest for shooting dead the suspected farm-murderer, reports Dolf Dreyer, editor of the independent newspaper Madibeng Pulse in Brits. Lourens is convinced that his client has been dealt with very unfairly by the SAPS.
Shortly after Brits police-unit had arrested most of the farm attack gang, Mmatli and his colleagues were hailed for a job well done: he was formally commended by SAPS General Bheki Chele and received a commendation certificate early in 2000 and a R10,000 bonus. However suddenly in August 2009, the warrant-officer was arrested unceremoniously, put on unpaid leave and found himself facing a gruelling internal hearing by the Independent Complaints Directorate at the Brits police station – a hearing which was headed by a man dispatched from Mafikeng whose nickname among the trade-union community is “Mr Dismissal”. Mmatli’s arrest deeply shocked his colleagues and also made them fearful of raising their guns.
Brits attorney Cerneels Lourens: ‘police officer unfairly treated for shooting dead a fleeing suspected farm murderer…”
Lourens said the police officer was treated this way because he had shot dead a Mozambiquan man who had been pointed out as the killer of farmer Brink Botha: the suspect had already been arrested and handcuffed when he shook himself loose, jumped a fence and tried to escape into the maze of township alleys and cottages. The murder suspect had been pointed out by an arrested farm-attacker as the murderer of local farmer Brink Botha – and the arresting police were forewarned that he was armed and planned to carry out more house-robberies so that he could return to Mozambique with the proceeds.
The officers also captured other gang members – in fact two of them, Thomas Chauke (32) and Zondi Nkuna (29), had their trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria last week – and will probably know their fate on 20 July when Judge Peter Mabuse pronounces his verdict. report
Brutal attack and murder of Brink Botha
It was a particularly brutal attack against the farmer, his wife and their thirteen-year-old daughter Odelia: the gang had smashed the bedroom window where Brink and his wife Christelle (39) were sleeping. Brink Botha had stormed forward to prevent the suspects from climbing into the room and to protect his wife. During the ensuing struggle he was cold-bloodedly shot twice in the chest while Christelle fled to the study to fetch a gun from the safe. One of the attackers grabbed her and others also forced her daughter Odelia (13) out of her bedroom, demanding money from the two. Strangely, the gang showed no interest in the weapons in the safe, according to Mrs Brink’s testimony at the trial. Before driving off with the Botha’s Corsa bakkie, as well as with the remote control for the gate, the gang had tied up the mother and her young daughter in the study.
Lourens pointed out that the police officer had acted under the directive of the SA Minister of Police and his Commissioner to ‘fight fire with fire’ to ‘shoot to kill when dealing with dangerous criminals” when he had shot dead Derick Mabase. "The effect on the other members at the police station in Brits was very demoralising: they feared lifting their guns to defend the public from dangerous criminals because the officers didn’t want to jeopardize their jobs, said the lawyer. Only when Mmatli was found not guilty on appeal, did the Brits police force ‘take heart’ again, he pointed out. He is now lodging a civil claim for damages on behalf of his client.
Lourens said that on 20 November 2008, warrant-officer Mmatli had shot dead the fleeing, handcuffed murder suspect Derick Mabasa of Mozambique, who had been pointed out by a comrade the police had arrested earlier, as the killer of Afrikaner farmer Brink Botha on his farm Mamogalieskraal near Brits that day. “At around 5am on 20 November 2008, a collegue and w/o Mmatli went with a man who had been arrested shortly after the farm attack to Mabasa’s home at Soshanguve, where the arrested man had told them they would find his co-murderer Derick Mabasa of Mozambique. The police officers fetched the arrested farm-attacker from the police van and this man had pointed out Derick Mabasa to them. “The arrested man had warned the police officers that Mabasa was armed and had told him that he planned to carry out more house-robberies so that he had enough money to return to Mozambique'.
After the suspected Derick Mabasa was arrested and handcuffed he managed to get away from the grip of the police officer , jumped across a fence and tried to flee. Warrant Officer Mmatli, who was nearly, fired two warning shots. “It was raining and the murder suspect ran away from Mmatli, who kept warning him to stop and had fired a third shop which killed the suspect. Mmatli feared that the murder-suspect would disappear in the maze of township shacks and that he would be able to flee to Mozambique, said the lawyer.
Mmatli received commendations from the Station Comissioner, the Provincial Commissioner and a certificate of merit from SAPS General B Chele, together with R10,000, at the start of 2009 for his action. However on 20 August 2008 he was summoned to a discliplinary hearing – and his attorney said that the Independent Complaints Directorate had placed tremendous emotional and financial pressure on this officer. He was suspended on unpaid leave from 24 August 2009 and charged with ‘gross undisclipined behaviour.” A second, lesser charge was also added, of ‘non-compliance with SAPS regulations’.
According to the Police Union POPCRU’s official, the (otherwise unnamed) officer residing over Mmatli’s discliplinary hearing -- informally known as “Mr Dismissal” by insiders – arrived at 2pm for the hearing, which was scheduled for 10am at the Brits police station. The man reportedly became rather flustered when he saw that warrant-officer Mmatli showed up with local lawyer Cerneels Lourens and senior advocate Piet van Wyk as his legal counsel, and that a string of witnesses were also brought in to testify on his behalf. As a result, Mmatli was found not guilty on the main charge of gross undiscliplined behaviour – but still had to face a decision on the lesser charge of non-compliance with SAPS regulations because Mr Dismissal said he needed ‘time to think, and suddenly postponed the hearing for two weeks. When Mr Dismissal returned two weeks later, he summarily found Mmatli guilty of the lesser charge. Mmatli’s legal team appealed – they were very unhappy about the ruling and the way their client was dealt with, pointing out that under Article 49 (2) (a) and (b) police members are authorised to shoot under certain circumstances. The Appeal came back with a finding pointing out that the SAPS member was innocent and should never have been charged.
While this case was pending however, Mmatli and his fellow-officers at the Brits police stations were afraid of lifting their guns to carry out arrests, fearing that their jobs would be placed on the line. Mr Lourens said that the community of Brits should be very proud of Mmatli and his colleagues who place their lives on the line to arrest hardened criminals.
Mr Lourens has now received instructions from warrant officer Mmatli to lodge a civil claim against the SAPS for loss of income and emotional abuse.
- This is a summary. For the original report in Afrikaans in Madibeng Pulse: access: http://www.madibengpulse.co.za/?Task=system&CategoryID=30837&HeadingText=News+150710+cerneels+lourens
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Rustenburg farmer lodged formal genocide charges against 12 ANC-leaders at the International Criminal Court - document ICC receipt Reference OIP-CR203/10 acknowledged:
(the unknown farmer is said to have fled to The Hague with his family – however he refuses to be identified or interviewed, even off the record. There’s only one source for this story at the moment – the lawyer Van der Walt in Rustenburg. A Trust fund has been opened to support the farmer’s case.)
Rudolph Terblanche paralysed after farm attack Pretoria
Terblanche, Rudolph, 47, smallholder, paralysed by armed attackers, Killed: Gerhard van Jaarsveld, 48; also injured: Elrene Jones, 40 -- Willowbray smallholding Pretoria July 11 2010 -- while watching World Cup 2010 final…
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2010-07-13 Rudolph Terblanche, 47,. has been left paralysed from the neck down after he was shot in the neck by 
armed attackers on July 11 2010 – while he was watching the World Cup 2010 , just friends having a braai together. His friend Gerhard van Jaarsveld, 48 was shot dead, and life-partner Ms Elrene Jones, 40, was shot in the shoulder and leg.
.He fell flat on his face and has been unable to move ever since, reports Hilda Fourie of Beeld newspaper in Pretoria. Hilda.Fourie@naspers.co.za
Terblanche told Beeld from his bed at the Eugène Marais-hospitaal that he can only feel sensation bove his breast-bone and parts of his forearms.
‘We were having a lekker braai and chat. We certainly were not prepared for murder and homicide . I always barbequed in the garden despite the many media reports that gangs attack you exactly at that stage. It’s always something which happens to other people,’ he said. The three friends were busy in the kitchen when two members of a five-member gang walked through the security gate. “All I could spot were shooting irons. I thought there might still be a chance to argue my way out, telling them that they could take whatever they wanted to, but they simply started shooting. They didn’t say a thing. One shot Ms Jones in the shouter while Terblanche rushed the other gunmen and grabbed the hand holding the gun. “Another shot was fired from somewhere and I was Man Down,’ he said. “I heard screaming, pleas, and shots, and was lying flat on my face, unable to even move a little finger.’ I thought to myself ‘that’s the way it feels when you are being shot dead. Then after a while the dying process seemed to stake longer than I expected,’ he said. Ms Fourie writes that the gang consisted five armed black attackers.
Permanent paralysis:
His physician, Dr. Deodat Maré, said Terblanche was shot in the neck-muscle and this ‘shook a spinal vertrebra so badly that it was damaged permanently. “If someone were to cut my leg with a butcher’s knife I would not feel it, said Terblanche. He does have ghost pains in all the limbs and the torso, however. Hís rehabiliation will take 3 months: but his medical-aid plan only will pay for 27 days of it. He also needs a wheelchair which he can’t afford. “I didn’t plan for this,’ he said. http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Dis-hoe-n-mens-voel-as-jy-sterf-20100713
