Barend Steyn

Barend 'Ben' Steyn (1937 - 2010)

Brief overview:

Barend (73), an elderly farmer from Bloemspruit, Free State, was brutally murdered on 5th November 2010. His son, Callie Steyn, found the body of his father late on Friday afternoon.

Callie was visiting and arrived shortly before 18:00. Callie walked through the open back door of the house. Everything was ransacked. He found his father in the second bedroom on the ground. "At first I thought he was shot because I only saw blood," Callie said. The murdered Steyn lay on his stomach, a piece of cloth was wrapped around his head and neck. His hands were tied behind his back. "I turned him around, removed the cloth and looked to see if he was still alive. I felt a pulse, but he was cold.”

Next to his father's body lay a pickaxe and an iron, which was still plugged in. The pickaxe, iron and lead pipe were believed to have been used to kill Steyn. In the room in which he was killed was a safe. An angle grinder was found in the room and a hammer stood against the bed.

The police unit of organized crime, the Falcons, arrested a man in Bloemspruit on the Sunday. Capt. Police spokeswoman Elsa Gerber says Steyn was last seen at about 2.30pm on Friday when he returned from the city. He worked on the railroads for years. Callie said, “It was his dream to farm. “When he retired 20 years ago, he bought the holding and started farming.

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:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20101109221541/http://www.nuus24.com/Su...
• http://archive.fo/o8Zno
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000189153133821