Four individuals were apprehended in connection with the brutal murder of a 79-year-old farmer, Theo Frederik Bekker, in Mpumalanga.
The attempted murder of his wife was also part of the shocking incident.
The suspects, 18-year-old Siyanda Gift Ziqubu and 18-year-old Kgahliso Motoung, appeared in the Balfour Magistrate's Court on Thursday, alongside two juvenile co-accused whose identities remain undisclosed due to their age.
The case was adjourned, and they are expected to reappear in court on Monday.
Ziqubu, Motoung, and the two juveniles are facing multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, pointing a firearm, and possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Mpumalanga shared that the postponement was to allow time for legal representation to be arranged.
In the meantime, the accused have been remanded in custody while awaiting the outcome of their bail application.
According to the NPA's regional spokesperson in Mpumalanga, the accused persons allegedly acted together to perpetrate the crime on July 30.
They invaded the victims' residence in Grootvlei, Balfour, and violently attacked the elderly farmer.
The assailants demanded money and a firearm from him. Subsequently, they suffocated his wife with a plastic bag, subjected her to multiple assaults, and robbed the couple of an undisclosed sum of money, a firearm, and a vehicle that they used to flee the scene.
Remarkably, just hours after the horrendous crime in Mpumalanga, the four suspects were located in Free State after the stolen vehicle, a Renault Kwid, overturned in Villiers.
The crashed vehicle
Police responded swiftly to the crash report, leading to the arrest of the fleeing occupants.
Upon inspection of the crash site, law enforcement discovered the firearm and the stolen Renault Kwid, confirming their connection to the murder and robbery in Mpumalanga.
The NPA plans to oppose bail for the suspects due to the severity of the offenses committed.
In another news, an e-hailing driver has confessed to robbing some of his passengers while on duty. See the video of his confession here
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