The five men arrested for the murder of a 60-year-old man on a smallholding have been identified.
The accused appeared in the Humansdorp Magistrate’s Court on Monday following their arrest over the weekend.
Aged between 22 and 37, they face charges of murder, house robbery and possession of suspected stolen property.
Five accused named
Deon du Toit was found dead on his farm outside Humansdorp after police were called to investigate a robbery in the early hours of 27 January.
Du Toit was found “with open wounds”, as well as a knife still embedded in his back, with several items missing from his home.
“[The accused] were found in possession of items that were presumably stolen during the attack”, stated Eastern Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli.
Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali relayed the accused’s identities to The Citizen.
The accused are Hendry September (37), Immanuel Witbooi (34), Marshall Bester (33), Niquine Bester (28) and Damian Bester (22)
All five of the accused are South African citizens, and their matter has been postponed until 10 February.
More than 10 residential robberies
A sixth suspect was initially linked to the investigation, but police have not reported any progress on their whereabouts.
Du Toit allegedly pressed a panic button while the attack was in progress, with first responders finding him in critical condition.
Nkohli stated that before being declared deceased, Du Toit was able to relay the presence of six attackers, reported AlgoaFM.
Du Toit was reportedly not a farmer, but a tenant who lived alone in a rented section of the smallholding, according to Nkohli.
Crime statistics for the period between April and September last year show that police recorded 11 564 murder cases, 10 463 residential robberies and 63 215 robberies with aggravating circumstances.
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