Jacobus Cornelius Jacob Potgieter

Jacobus 'Koos' Potgieter (1954 - 2004)

Brief overview:

Koos (50), was murdered on his farm Donkerpoort at Nooitgedacht outside Modimollein Nelspruit, Mpumalanga on 30th July 2004.

According to the police, Potgieter was presumably attacked with a shovel before his killers tied his feet to a birdcage and his neck to a tree with a tightly stretched nylon rope. They placed a heavy piece of iron, which could be moved with difficulty by two men, on the piece of rope around his neck and a large log of wood on his legs. Potgieter had apparently tried in vain to get the rope off his neck. His fingers were still wrapped around the rope when his body was found late Friday afternoon. He was apparently killed the day before.

His wife, Sophia, found his body behind an outbuilding. She had been looking for him since the day before, when she came from town. Capt. Malesela Ledwaba, police spokesperson, says because one of his two vans was also gone and there was no sign of a crime at the house, she suspected he had gone somewhere.

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
  • Only his wife's revolver was stolen in the attack.
  • The police say it is clear the killers did not want to rob anything in the house. His mobile phone was found near his body. The bakkie in which the killers apparently left was found on Friday night in a street in the neighboring town of Bela-Bela (Warmbad).
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.
  • Mr. Michael Holford, DA leader in Limpopo, said the murder was reminiscent of that of Andries Johannes Breytenbach from Makhado (Louis Trichardt) about eight years ago. His body was also "on display", with the headlights of his bakkie on either side of his head and the number plates at his feet and head.
  • Holford believes the way Potgieter was killed indicates a "deep-seated hatred of white people". He said that the ANC will have to urgently ensure that its policy of reconciliation is passed down to grassroots level.
  • The FF+ in Limpopo believes the purpose of the murder is to, as in the case of many other farm murders, create fear among white people, said Johan Willemse, spokesperson, Tertius Theron, on behalf of the TLU SA's northern region, said the murder reaffirms the organisation's opinion that farm murders are not crime-related.

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:

• Identity Number : 5401155008084
• Cause of death : Unnatural causes
• https://archive.is/6u7ee

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.ph/muB5b
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000194580010861
• https://www.facebook.com/VFplus/posts/10152590096474453