Schmidt Ernest Julius

Ernest Julius Schmidt was gunned down on the farm Wykom in the Louwsberg area of northern KwaZulu-Natal. He had picked up two hitchhikers while driving his pickup truck with his eight-year-old son, Albert. The hitchhikers opened fire inside the vehicle, shooting Ernest Julius Schmidt in the neck and killing him instantly in front of his child. The attackers also shot the eight-year-old boy in the leg, leaving him seriously injured. Following a rapid response from local farmers, private security companies, and surrounding South African Police Service stations, police successfully traced and intercepted the suspects' getaway vehicle. Officers arrested two suspects in connection with the murder shortly after the attack.