A 17-year-old worker on the farm Kaffirskraal near Leeu Gamka has allegedly shot and killed his boss after an argument.
|||A 17-year-old worker on the farm Kaffirskraal near Leeu Gamka has allegedly shot and killed his boss after an argument.
“Police arrested the boy in connection with the murder of 35-year-old Frederick Snyders on Monday.
The motive is believed to be an argument between the (farmer) and the suspect earlier the same day,” Southern Cape police spokesman Malcolm Pojie said on Tuesday.
The boy lived on the farm in Merweville and the nature of the argument was under investigation, he said.
“Preliminary investigations indicate the (farmer) and his wife were sitting on their stoep at 7.30pm when the suspect approached on foot, took (his employer’s) rifle out of the bakkie and suddenly fired a shot killing him instantly with a single gunshot to his head,” Pojie said.
He said the youth allegedly fired a few more shots at Snyders wife, but missed.
“The suspect later handed the rifle, a 243 Ruger to her and surrendered to the police (when they) arrived at the crime scene. The firearm was seized and will be sent for ballistic tests,” Pojie said.
Snyders’ spouse was unhurt, but in shock, he said.
“The suspect is detained at the Leeu Gamka police holding cells and scheduled to appear in the Leeu Gamka Magistrate’s court on a murder charge on December 15,” Pojie said.
Dominique Swartz, provincial spokeswoman for the Food and Allied Union (Fawu) which organises farm- workers, said: “For some workers life on farms is very hard and can lead to a lot of frustration. This does not mean one should condone murder.”
She said poverty and abuse were among the factors that contributed to farm life being “very demoralising” for young people.
Agri Wes-Cape chief executive Carl Opperman said: ‘This is the second farmer murdered this year on farms in the Western Cape and follows shortly on attacks on farms in Malmesbury and Grabouw, as well as a recent one in Ashton.”
He said farm attacks were discussed at a meeting with provincial police on December 8 where they agreed sector policing in rural areas would continue until next year’s roll-out of the government’s National Rural Safety Plan. - Cape Times