Follow Us
Like Us
About Chrisjan van Niekerk
Chrisjan van Niekerk (1949 - 2020)
Brief overview:
Chrisjan (71), who was virtually blind, was murdered at his farm shop Big Five Zuney, on farm Nooitgedacht, outside Port Elizabeth near Alexandria, on the afternoon of 25th July 2020. The perpetrators fled on foot and were seen on a neighbouring farm. Security reports indicate that Chrisjan was hacked to death with an axe.
According to police spokesperson, Mali Govender, one of the community members came across his bloodied body when he wanted to go and buy necessities at the store. The store's door was open although the security door was locked. "When no one responded to his call, he peeked into the shop and saw a bloodied hand sticking out from under the counter." He called the victim's sons who entered the store and found the his lifeless body," Govender said.
Christine van Niekerk, Chrisjan's sister-in-law, says he has been assaulted in his shop many times, but went there because he considered it his personal space. "Despite this, he still believed that God cared for him," says Christine.
"We believe the Covid-19 pandemic has a negative effect on the police service, specifically in cases where police stations are closed due to positive Covid-19 cases. We must take into account that this situation can be exploited by criminals and farm attackers because policemen are not necessarily available to fight crime,” said Henry Geldenhuys the deputy president of TAU SA.
"This cowardly attack on an innocent victim is strongly condemned and the police will not leave a stone unturned in this investigation," said Lt. Gen. Provincial police chief Liziwe Ntshinga said in response to the incident.
Solly Mathews (23) and his un-named brother (16), were arrested about 15 km from the farm at 08:00 on Sunday 26th July 2020. They are expected to appear in Alexandria Magistrate's Court this week on charges of murder. They were caught at the Landman monument between Port Elizabeth and Alexandria.
Brief Biography:
- Other Victims/Family
- Funeral/Memorial
- The Farm/Smallholding
- Big Five Zuney, on his farm Nooitgedacht
- The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
Attack Details:
- Date and time of attack
- 08h00 25th July 2020
- Weapons
- Axe
- Items Stolen
- Items from shop
- Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
- Torture, Gratuitous violence
- Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.
Perpetrator details:
- Number and Descriptions
- Arrests
- 26/07/2020
- Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
- Solly Matthews (23), un-named 16-year-old brother
- Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
- South Africa
- Trial/Conviction
- The Matthews brothers were sentenced in the High Court in Makahnda (Grahamstown) on Thursday 17th June. Solly Matthews was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and will effectively serve 28 years. His brother was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for the murder and 12 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and will effectively serve 21 years.
Additional Biographical Information:
Links to Media articles:
view all
Chrisjan van Niekerk's Timeline
| 1949 |
1949
|
||
| 2020 |
July 25, 2020
Age 71
|
Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth, EC, South Africa
|