An elderly South African farmer who was brutally murdered in his own living room was tied up with steel wire and tortured before his death, sources have revealed after a black man charged over the deadly attack appeared in court.
Dirk Kritzinger, 81, was found dead on his farm at Louwsbaken, Gauteng, last month, and his wife Sarie, 77, severely injured, after the pair were beaten by a group of men who broke into their property near Cullinan where they had lived for 42 years.
Both were beaten in the head and face with a heavy object, and while Dirk had already died by the time he was found, Sarie was found alive on the kitchen floor lying in a pool of blood.
“They thought she was dead, but she later said when she heard people, she was afraid it was the attackers and then she lay dead still and pretended to be dead,” a source told Volkskrag about the moment help arrived.
A few days later Adries Komane Sello, 35, was arrested in the nearby township of Refilwe and appeared in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court last week on charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery, possession of suspected stolen property and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Sello was allegedly caught with stolen items matching those taken from the farm, including a gun, groceries, a toolbox, electric blankets, pots, a camping chair, linens, and other household items.
Locals said the Kritzingers were likely attacked on a Friday afternoon while Dirk was attending the chicken coops, and a bloodstains on the grass nearby indicate he was tortured for the keys to his vehicle before being taken inside.
The Krtizingers’ daughter called police from her parents’ church when they did not answer their phone on the Saturday, and a man who drove out to the farm to check on them found the couple inside and called police.
After Sello’s arrest a police spokesperson told the Pretoria Record the suspect was identified thanks to leads and information provided by the local community, and that a hunt was still underway for his accomplices.
“The team was led to the residence of one suspect, where he was located and arrested,” Johan van Dyk said.
“The investigation is ongoing to pursue all leads and bring all suspects to justice.”
