Bosman John

John Bosman, a 61-year-old strawberry farmer who had lived on his property for 28 years. At about 22:00, three intruders entered the house while Bosman was watching television in the lounge and his wife, Leigh Bosman, was preparing for bed. Bosman told his wife to get into the bedroom and lock the door, after which the intruders produced a knife and a firearm and a struggle followed. Two shots were fired, one striking Bosman in the chest. He also sustained knife injuries to his hands and arms and died at the scene. His wife activated the panic button and armed-response personnel arrived within minutes. The attackers had taken a key and were attempting to steal a vehicle when the security officers arrived, causing them to abandon the property and flee. Bosman had lived at the property for approximately 28 years and was described as a strawberry farmer. His brother-in-law, Bradley Steyn, later published a video describing the attack and said that Bosman had been killed while trying to protect Leigh. The family identified Bosman's sons as Steven and Dylan. A suspect, Zanempi Goodwin Shongwe, was arrested on 13 November 2018 and formally charged with Bosman's murder on 16 November. He was 30 when arrested. The investigation linked him to the murder through an intelligence operation. Shongwe subsequently faced the additional murder charge relating to another case in Masoyi. In court he was alleged to have admitted participating in planning and carrying out the attack but denied firing the shot that killed Bosman. His alleged confession became an important issue in the subsequent proceedings because its admissibility was challenged. The murder case remained before the Nelspruit Regional Court for several years. In November 2021, the trial was again postponed, with the trial scheduled to commence in January 2022. At that stage Shongwe remained the accused in the murder of Bosman, while the family maintained that three men had participated in the attack and expressed concern that no further arrests had been made.