Hans Jurie Venter

Hans Venter (1938 - 2022)

Brief overview:

Hans (84), and his wife, Sheila (80), were attacked in the bedroom of their cottage in Seven Oaks, near Greytown, by a gang of armed men, at around 02h00 on Sunday 27th November 2022.

On arrival at the scene, the police and security, found the house ransacked. "The victim was suffocated and strangled..." said police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo.

The perpetrators had gained access to the cottage by forcing open a sliding door on the porch.

The attackers repeatedly asked for money and firearms and wanted to know where the safe was kept.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • “It’s heartbreaking. There are no words to describe how we are feeling. They spent 12 years on the farm and Hans’s death has left a huge gap in our lives and we will forever miss him. They were humble people and it’s sad that they were subjected to such brutality by criminals. The family is deeply cut up by this,” said the couples’ son-in-law, Steve Stamp.
  • Steve, and his wife Shan, the couple's daughter, have lived and farmed there for decades, Hans and Sheila stayed in a cottage on the farm.
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • Hans is the third person to have been murdered on a farm in this province since May 2022. Also see, Bhanmathie Somaroo (68), and Sagadava Naidoo (74).
  • 04/12/2022: Members of a multidisciplinary team that counters livestock theft thwarted a planned farm attack near Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday and arrested two suspects, aged 34 and 40 years-old. They were in possession of two firearms of which the serial numbers had been filed off, as well as ammunition. Spokesperson Col. Robert Netshiunda, said members were busy with routine duties when they received information about a vehicle with two occupants who were apparently on their way to carry out a farm attack. "With the operationalisation of such information, the two suspects were cornered and arrested along the R69 road.” According to Netshiunda, preliminary investigations indicate that one of the suspects was on the police's wanted list for cases related to a farm attack and the robbery of a firearm and mobile phones. The robbery took place on July 22 in Paulpietersburg. He was also wanted in connection with a farm attack and a charge of attempted murder after an incident in Louwsburg - also in July. *https://archive.is/MWTLY

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
  • CEO of Magma Security, Shaheen Suleiman, said that two flat-screen TVs, a laptop, a kettle, a bag, a cellphone and jewellery were recovered as well as a firearm, knives, a crowbar, gloves and balaclavas.” All exhibits were handed in at Impendle SAPS.
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
  • The couple was tortured. Hans was tied up, a mattress put on top of him, beaten repeatedly, suffocated and strangled. He sadly died during the attack. Sheila was also beaten - thrown on the floor and against the wall, then tied up. The couple was also gagged. At some point Sheila lost consciousness. She survived the attack.
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
  • Police report: "In the early hours of Tuesday morning Greytown police, the Pietermaritzburg K9 Unit and the Pietermaritzburg Trio Task Team and Magma Security embarked on an intelligence operation after they received information on the whereabouts of the suspects involved in the murder and robbery. They proceeded to the Boston area where they spotted the eight suspects travelling in two vehicles towards Impendle. When confronted the armed men opened fire at police officers and a shootout ensued during the high speed chase. Two suspects were fatally wounded while six aged between 22 and 38 were arrested for murder, robbery and attempted murder."
• 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/PjlPy
• https://archive.is/A0gDJ
• https://archive.is/9IO4Y
• https://archive.is/LLnh7
• https://archive.is/21iAY
• https://archive.ph/K90fg
• https://archive.ph/RW8Es