Howarth Susan

Age 64. The 64-year-old British national, a former pharmaceutical company executive who had relocated to South Africa in 1996 to establish a horse stable, lived on the property with her 66-year-old husband, Robert Lynn.The attack began at approximately 3:00 AM on 19 February 2017, when three masked intruders broke through a bedroom window, woke the couple, and immediately demanded cash. When Lynn explained that they did not keep large amounts of money on the farm, the intruders tied them up and subjected them to an exceptionally brutal, multi-hour torture ordeal. The attackers repeatedly stabbed Lynn in the stomach, neck, and hands, slashed the couple with knives, and used a commercial blowtorch to inflict severe burns on both victims. In an attempt to stifle their screams, the raiders forced a plastic bag down Howarth's throat and wrapped a bag tightly around Lynn’s neck. After ransacking the house for valuables, the intruders bundled the bloodied couple into the back of their own pickup truck while they were still in their pajamas.The perpetrators drove the couple to a remote area off the R540 main road near a mountain pass, where they dragged them from the vehicle to execute them. Howarth was shot twice in the head at close range and left in a ditch. Lynn was shot in the neck and left for dead. Despite his critical wounds, Lynn survived the shooting, managed to untie himself after the attackers sped away, and crawled across the road to find his wife. He flagged down a passing motorist at daybreak to get help. Emergency services rushed both victims to a hospital, where doctors noted that Howarth had sustained extensive skull fractures, deep puncture wounds, and horrific burns. She remained in a coma on life support for two days before succumbing to her injuries on February 21, 2017. Robert eventually relocated back to Ireland. Following an intensive police investigation, authorities apprehended three suspects. The criminal trial culminated in mid-2022 at the Breyten Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga. Two brothers, Meshack Nkosinathi Yika and Themba William Yika, were convicted on a series of charges that included murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, housebreak-in, and aggravated robbery. The court sentenced each brother to an effective 37 years in prison. During the sentencing proceedings, Lynn submitted an emotional victim impact statement to the court, writing that losing his wife in such a horrific manner had destroyed his peace and left him trapped in his own prison of fear and permanent sadness.