Van Tonder Douw Gerbrand

Age 24. Van Tonder and his 20-year-old wife, Alicia van Tonder, returned to the farm at about 23:00 on 12 October and found two men ransacking their main bedroom. During the attack, Van Tonder was stabbed in the chest and died at the house from blood loss. Alicia was also injured, although her injuries were described as slight. The two attackers fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. Before his death, Van Tonder managed to shoot one of the attackers in the leg. Alicia's sister, Mari-Helene van Staden, went for help after the attack. She climbed over a razor-wire security fence, ran approximately one kilometre through the farmland and eventually used a tractor to reach farm workers' houses, from where help was obtained. The police investigation resulted in two arrests. One suspect had been wounded during the attack and was being treated under police guard at Polokwane Hospital. A second suspect was arrested several days later and was due to appear in the Ellisras Magistrate's Court on a murder charge.