Margaretha Aletta van Zyl

Retha van Zyl (1944 - 2010)

Brief overview:

Retha (66), and her husband Jacobus Johannes van Zyl (63), were brutally tortured with a meat hook before being shot in the chest, on their 'Plaas Poortjie' Farm in Senekal on the night of 6th January 2010.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha described the scene as "carnage", when the paramedics arrived at 08h00 the following morning.

At the time, Sergeant Majang Mosupa said no arrests had been made. She said the generator on the farm apparently went off on Tuesday night and the woman went outside to investigate. Someone stabbed her. She and her husband were then shot. Mosupa said police did not know the motive for the crime.

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
  • A Chevrolet belonging to the couple's daughter had been stolen from the farm.
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
  • Retha, and her husband Koos, were both shot dead, at close range, in the chest after being hacked with a meat hook.
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
  • A former farm worker aged 27 was arrested near Odendaalsrus in possession of the couple's daughter, Marietjie, red Chevrolet Aveo sedan. and their two cellphones. The couple apparently owed him another R250.
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • More than 100 concerned farmers were outside the Magistrate's Court for the first appearance of the two suspects arrested after the gruesome murder. Petrus Ndaba (29), and Mr. Pule Jacob Mpanyane (22), were both charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft of a motor vehicle and stock theft after the murder on Tuesday night.
  • The trial was postponed until February 1st for further investigation.

Additional Biographical Information:

Links to Media articles:

• http://web.archive.org/web/20100308065458/http://www.news24.com/Con...
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100618215020/http://www.beeld.com/Sui...
• https://southafricanews.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/cruel-farm-attacks...
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110514151304/http://www.volksblad.com...
• https://web.archive.org/web/20101127205615/http://www.volksblad.com...
• https://archive.ph/ZORcE
• http://web.archive.org/web/20110904205213/http://www.volksblad.com/...
• http://web.archive.org/web/20100203033035/http://www.trouw.nl/nieuw...
• https://archive.ph/2KSt1

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• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jan 29 2023, 20:33:59 UTC