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About Adam Hefer
Adam 'Tas' Hefer (1935 - 2021)
Brief overview:
Tas (87), and his partner, Johanna Oosthuizen, (84), were ambushed and attacked outside their house on a smallholding in Cilvale, Bapsfontein, which they rented from a family member, on the night of 5th February 2021. The couple had been assaulted and tortured, by the swimming pool, before being shot. A trail of blood was found from outside to the inside of the house. Their attackers locked them inside the home and then set fire to the house. Their charred remains were found in a bathroom, with a bible laying between their bodies.
The couple is related to the well-known Belfast electrician, Mr. Pikkie Steyn, from whom DNA has been taken in order to confirm their identification.
No arrests have been made.
11/02/2020 - Translation from Afrikaans to English of the Maroela Media Report.
"An elderly couple who were killed on a smallholding in the Bapsfontein area were severely tortured before they were shot and their house set on fire. It was also the second time in two months that the couple had been attacked on their smallholding. "It was one of the most brutal and heinous attacks I have ever encountered," said Llewellyn Hemmens, AfriForum's safety coordinator for the Northern Region.
Adam Hefer (87) and Johanna Oosthuizen (84), better known as Uncle Tas and Aunt Duifie, were first tortured for hours on their plot in Welbekend, before their house was set on fire and burned beyond recognition. The couple was shot during the attack before both were burned. Hemmens says two rounds of ammunition found in the burnt-down house confirm that they were shot.
Capt. Police spokesperson Kay Makhubela said earlier that local security guards had called police in the early hours of Saturday morning when they were patrolling and spotted the burning house. The fire was raging and firefighters were called, after which the couple's bodies were found.
Hemmens says according to the information received by AfriForum, the couple were ambushed at their home around 20:00 on Friday. They were tied up and severely assaulted and tortured outside next to the pool. "There was a trail of blood that ran from the outside of the house to the bedroom. The uncle and aunt's bodies were found there,” said Hemmens. "A Bible was also found between their bodies."
At this stage, the police can not yet determine what was stolen because the house burned down completely. According to Makhubela, no one has yet been arrested in connection with the couple's murder.
According to Hemmens, suspects entered the couple's house for the first time in December and robbed them of a firearm, R9,000 in cash, a cellphone and a television set. "Fortunately, the uncle and aunt survived the attack unscathed. "I am shocked at how much violence these two vulnerable people, who cannot even fight back, had to go through. They were easy targets." He said the couple were much loved among the community."
13/02/2021 - Translation from Afrikaans to English - Extract from the Maroela Media Report
"Nothing makes sense. I am completely confused." This is what Alec Hefer (40) says, whose elderly father, Adam Hefer (87), and his girlfriend, Johanna Oosthuizen (84), were killed on a smallholding in the Bapsfontein area. He visited the smallholding again to try to make sense of their brutal murders.
The elderly couples house on the smallholding in the Welbekend area is now partly in ruins after it was set on fire last Friday, the night of their murders. Because the house burned down almost completely, it is difficult to put together all the puzzle pieces of the murders. All the possible evidence that the police could lead to the culprits was burned to ashes along with the house and furniture.
The only item that has survived is the Bible found among the bodies of the elderly. Some of the writing verses can still be made out by the black soot on the paper. This while the bodies of the elderly burned unrecognizably. However, it is not clear how the Bible ended up among the bodies of the elderly.
Alec says he suspects Johanna got involved in a fight with the attackers outside the pool. He suspects his father may have been killed on the couch in the living room. "My father always slept on this couch." I suspect they killed him on the bench, because he could not just get up because he was already so weakened," Alec said. "What was strange to me was how only the sofa in that room was burned, while the rest of the room and furniture were only stained with soot."
Alec says he is trying to make his own inferences about the killings because nothing can be confirmed with certainty. "Everything is uncertain and messy." The elderly couples former caregiver, Cornelia Morisson, lived in this house on the property for about three years. The house has been empty lately. Alec received a call from Morisson the morning after his father's attack. He was fishing.
"Cornelia just called me and said and must come to smallholding immediately. She just said my dad is dead and there are a lot of police here. I immediately realized what was going on. I froze and felt completely paralyzed. "When I arrived there, the scene was still fresh. The smell of blood overwhelmed me. I still picked up some of my dad's leftovers between the ashes. The fire was extinguished, but it was still smoldering in the rubble. The walls were fiery hot.”
Johanna and Adam were in a relationship years ago after which they parted ways. They found each other again years later and the love has blossomed ever since. They have lived together on the smallholding for the last few years. Alec says his father could not sit still after his retirement and always found a new project that kept him busy.
"Even though he was already weak, you would find him outside in the garden on the eve of the dew, sweeping the porch or performing a task. He was also almost completely deaf and could no longer see well. "Aunt Duifie was still sprightly and kept the household going." Alec describes his father and Oosthuizen as loving people with good hearts. "My father did not have a single enemy. He was goodness himself and radiated positivity in his face. He would give his last R10 to someone in need.”
A funeral service for the elderly was held at the NG Church Welbekend on Thursday morning. "I am still in shock about everything. I did not even cry at my father's funeral. I'm just looking for answers.”
Brief Biography:
- Other Victims/Family
- Funeral/Memorial
- The Farm/Smallholding
- The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
Attack Details:
- Date and time of attack
- Weapons
- Items Stolen
- Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
- Torture, Gratuitous violence
- Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.
Perpetrator details:
- Number and Descriptions
- Arrests
- Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
- Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
- Trial/Conviction
Additional Biographical Information:
Links to Media articles:
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Adam Hefer's Timeline
| 1934 |
1934
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| 2021 |
February 5, 2021
Age 87
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Bapsfontein, East Rand, GP, South Africa
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