Ben van der Westhuizen

Ben van der Westhuizen (1989 - 2013)

Brief overview:

Ben (24), a mechanic, who lived in Vryheid, left his home on his motorcycle shortly after 19h00 on 21st December 2013. He didn't tell his mother where he was going, but assured her that he wouldn’t be gone long. It was the last time Erina van der Westhuizen saw her son alive.

Ben's body was found in a field close to the Farmers' Hall near Bhekuzulu the next morning. Initially it was thought that Ben was involved in an accident, which was ruled out as there was no damage to the bike. The cause of death was established to be severe head trauma, caused by a blow to the back of the head, with a blunt object. Further investigation revealed that Ben had most likely been murdered elsewhere and his body dumped, along with the motorcycle, at the spot where it had been discovered. Ben’s helmet, wallet, cellphone and bike keys were missing from the scene.

His cellphone was later traced to a cellphone repair shop by a private investigator. In 2015, following a desperate appeal by the Van der Westhuizen family to the Minister of Police as well as the Provincial Commissioner, a reward of R30 000 was offered for information leading to the successful arrest and conviction of Ben’s killers.

The case was handed over to Warrant Officer Madonsela at the Pietermaritzburg branch of the SAPS, who confirms that not one person came forward with information, despite their efforts and the docket was eventually sent back to Vryheid SAPS in early 2017. Captain Attie Engelbrecht, well-known in Vryheid for his tireless efforts in apprehending the suspects responsible for the Van Rooyen farm massacre, acknowledged receipt of the docket and is looking into Ben's murder.

Update: Nearly seven years after Ben's murder, new evidence has been uncovered, which was reported on 12th September 2020.

"Attie Engelbrecht, the investigating officer in the case, confirmed that his task force had voluntarily taken over the investigation in 2017. "Little did I know what was waiting for me. It was a mess. The scene was not thoroughly processed at the time as it was initially considered a car accident. For example, the motorcycle was never taken in so that DNA tests could be done on the motorcycle. We really had nothing to work with." Yet over the past three years, the task force has interviewed dozens of people in connection with the incident and has since made progress in the matter. The task force has now finally identified possible suspects and intends to discuss the case with a public prosecutor soon. "If the prosecutor gives the green light, we will look for these people. We know where some of them are.”

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://archive.is/WChu0
• http://archive.is/buxpx
• http://archive.is/58Kyr