Van Niekerk Matthys (Thys)

The incident occurred at the Uitkyk Farm, which is situated along the R390 route between Cradock and Hofmeyr in the Eastern Cape province. He did not own the property but was renting the farmhouse as a temporary residence while managing a three-year road construction and rehabilitation project in the area.The murder took place between the late hours of Tuesday, 29 August 2023, and the early morning of Wednesday, 30 August 2023. His body was discovered on Wednesday morning when concerned work colleagues visited the farmhouse after he failed to report for duty. The attacker fled the scene using Van Niekerk's white Toyota Prado, which was subsequently found abandoned on Conway Road in Hofmeyr.Thys van Niekerk died from multiple severe stab wounds to his upper body and a slit throat. He was found by his colleagues lying lifeless in a large pool of blood inside the house.Following an intensive manhunt and the distribution of wanted posters, the South African Police Service tracked the perpetrator to a farm a few kilometers outside Hofmeyr. On Friday, 8 September 2023, police successfully arrested 28-year-old Andrew Kroukamp, who was found hiding in a dense, bushy area. He was formally charged with murder, theft of a motor vehicle, and housebreaking. On Monday, 12 August 2024, Andrew Kroukamp appeared before the High Court of South Africa (Eastern Cape Division, Makhanda/Grahamstown) where he formally pleaded guilty to the murder of Thys van Niekerk.