Isabella Cornelia Scheepers

Isabella Cornelia Scheepers "Nellie" (1944 – 1997)

Brief overview:

Nellie (53), and her husband, Gerhardus Francois Scheepers (54), bodies were found in their farmhouse on the farm Klipkrans, late in the afternoon by their son, Mr. Bernard Scheepers. The couple who had lived for years in Ermelo, were cold bloodily shot dead by attackers on Thursday afternoon, who had shortly before hijacked a bakkie in Piet Retief and had stolen a weapon.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • Her husband Gerhard was strangled and shot to death.
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • At Wolmaransstad, a man who broke into a farmhouse after stabbing a worker with a knife was shot dead after a huge search. The burglar struck about 20 km from the farm De Hoop where Mr. Nico Boonzaaier was killed on Sunday. The man arrived on Kameelbult yesterday and asked a worker if the owner was at home. When he heard the owner was not there, he asked the worker to help him break in. This he refused, causing a fight and the worker was stabbed in the stomach with a knife. The burglar broke a window, tied the worker with a tie and fled with clothing and a .22 revolver.
  • 1997 proved to be a very difficult and tragic year for farming communities in Mpumalanga Province, suffering many fatalities, but also a clear surge in attacks around the province during the course of the year.
  • 10 people (predominantly farmers and their wives) were murdered in Mpumalanga Province during 1997. Besides Isabella and her husband Gerhard, a further 9 victims lost their lives during an attack:
  • Frederik Albertus Coetser (74) from Farm Renosterhoek, section/stand 32, Sabie, was tortured and murdered, on 14/01/1997
  • John Jacob (73) was murdered on his Farm Bloekomkrans, in Lothair on 21/02/1997
  • Farmer (name unknown) (30) was murdered on the farm Goodland, near Komatipoort on 16/03/1997
  • Magdalena Regina van Wyk (71) and her husband Michael Christian van Wyk (70) were murdered on their farm Leliefontein in Trichardt on 22/03/1997.
  • Andries Marthinus Vermaas (Dries) (49) was shot dead on his farm in Greylingstad on 06/04/1997
  • Jan Lucas Coetzee (Jannie) (26) was shot dead near Badplaas on 20/09/1997
  • Servaas Daniël Dreyer (77) was tortured and murdered on his farm in Volksrust on 18/11/1997
  • A further three people (male) have been recorded murdered during June 1997, but cannot be corroborated as details cannot be found - J Bauwer, Hoedspruit (19/06/1997); D Marnitz (60), Greylingstad (19/06/1997); Unknown Vorster, Amsterdam (19/06/1997)
• Attacks during 1997 where the victims survived:
  • 02/1997: Farmer Burelli was attacked, assaulted and robbed on his Farm Gevind in Balfour.
  • 11/03/1997: Johanna Kruger (90), and her daughter, also Johanna (55), were attacked by a gang of 6 men. They were tied up, kicked, attacked and robbed on their Farm Kromdraai, in Leslie.
  • 18/02/1997: Farmer WJJ Botha (82) was overpowered on the porch of his farmhouse, tied up and robbed. Witpoort, Greylingstad.
  • 17/03/1997: Maria Franca (73), and her daughter, Helen Franca (39), were attacked and robbed on their farm in White River. Maria was kicked repeatedly and suffered injuries on her back and coccyx. Helen suffered a broken nose and other facial injuries.
  • 06/2007: Lourens Haasbroek (38) attacked on his farm in Rayton, Cullinan.
  • 20/06/1997: Julian Groenewald and his wife Maretha were overpowered, tied up, assaulted, then robbed, on their farm Vredenrus, Ermelo.
  • 24/06/1997: Anna Houerst, and her housekeeper (44), were overpowered by 3 attackers armed with knives, tied up and robbed on smallholding Eloff in Sundra.
  • 24/06/1997: Peter Cooks (69) and his daughter and her two children were overpowered at gunpoint and held hostage while their home was robbed on their Sundra smallholding.
  • 20/09/1997: Pieter Willem Adriaan Nel (60) was hit on the head with a glass bottle and an axe before he was robbed on his smallholding in Perdekop.
  • 04/10/1997: Jack (69) and Isabel (64) Botes, as well as one of their workers, were overpowered and robbed on their smallholding in Leeupoort, Delmas. Jack and the worker were tied up. Isabel was assaulted with a spade and throttled.
  • 01/12/1997: Robin Frost (63), and farm worker Gert Masumbuka (82), were attacked on their farm in Delmas by a gang of men who pretended to be interested in buying cattle. Robin was seriously injured.
  • 03/12/1997: Barney Muller (72), and his wife Lenie (69) were attacked inside their home, Farm Winkelhaak, Kinross, near Secunda. Barney was shot in the arm.
  • 10/12/1997: Sarel Francois Coetzer (75) was overpowered, assaulted and robbed on his farm Woetalleen, in Hendrina.

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:

• ID Number : 4404260012083
• Official cause of death : Unnatural

Links to Media articles:

• https://media.geni.com/p13/21/1f/ff/46/5344484e5c3b46be/gerhard_francois_scheepers_55__original.pdf?hash=3eb1f2d6d439eb8710ef3b7f5272418b0cef04e4f34d26f75cddd29652f0e76d.1715842799
• https://archive.is/KaTTx