Hartswater - The agricultural community in Vaalharts district is shocked after the cruel attack last weekend on an elderly couple at their farm house, in the area of Magogong.
Seven attackers overwhelmed Mr Charles Engelbrecht (73) and his wife, Violet (71), owners of property nr 2K11 in Magogong, on Sunday around 21:00.
Mr Engelbrecht was severely injured by the attackers, while his wife was tied up and held hostage in the house for several hours.
Mr Engelbrecht was later taken to the Jane Keyser clinic in the nearest town with a cracked rib, a broken nose and serious injuries and bruising to his body & face.
Engelbrecht, who cultivates pecan nuts, grapes & citrus fruit, said he had found four dead cats on his property.
"It was strange that the Labrador dog refused to eat as well. It seems they were poisoned"
Englbrecht explained "My small dog started barking. I took a large flash light / torch to investigate. Suddenly a man attacked me. There were more men behind him. They forced me to the ground and started beating me. All were wearing balaclavas."
Engelbrecht managed two blows with the flash light before the attackers overwhelmed him. He was then beaten with hammers, pliers and farming tools (reference is made to a steel, hook shaped tool, used in cultivating lucerne)
and lost consciousness.
Two of the attackers guarded the unconscious man while the others headed for the house where Mrs Engelbrecht says the attackers overwhelmed her in the TV room. She was ordered to open the safe.
"They were very frustrated to find little money in the safe. They took me to the bedroom, convinced that there would be money."
"They said they would rape me, and one of them has AIDS"
"I decided that they could go fly a kite. I said I am 70 years old and won't live much longer anyway"
Mrs Engelbrecht says she was consistently calm, and spoke calmly to the robbers.
They pulled her around with a lusernhak (steel, hook shaped tool, used in cultivating lucerne).
"I gave them the credit cards and PIN numbers. They subsequently tied me to a chair in the TV room."
Later when she realised the robbers were gone, she crawled to the front door to lock it. She also locked the bedroom door and held down the alarm.
News Source
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