Richard Noel Hardy

Richard Hardy (1954 - 1997)

Brief overview:

Richard (43), was shot dead by armed men posing as road workers, in Babanango, Natal, on 3rd September 1997.

Richard had collected wages for our employees from the bank in Melmoth, about 60 km's away from Babanango. Only 13 km's away from Babanango, Richard was stopped by "roadworkers" and was shot dead by these "people" armed with AK47's and a 9mm. The wages, R56 000.00, was taken from the vehicle and never recovered. More tragically, the sunglasses Richard always wore when driving, were missing. That could only mean that after Richard was shot in the head, some callous individual walked up to my husband and took the glasses off of his face after they had shot him. I know that this happened because in a local bar, that night, a man walked in the bar wearing sunglasses that a few of our employees recognised as Richards, also he had a "wad" of money on him. Since then, the cartridges recovered from the murder scene have "gone missing", therefore ballistic tests could not be done, I was never told of the court dates and the suspects apprehended were set free due to "lack of evidence". I have faxed the ICD over a year ago and they have still not contacted me to investigate this case. I believe that a policeman/men were involved or had something to do with my husbands murder and the disappearance of the cartridges.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • A total of 12 people were murdered on farms or smallholdings in KZN during 1997. Besides Richard, 11 other people were murdered, predominantly farmers and their wives. 8 of the victims were elderly, between the ages of 60 and 80. A further seven attacks occurred in the province during 1997.
  • Thelma Nzama (80), stabbed to death on a farm outside Paddock on 01/03/1997.
  • Werner Johannes Gathmann (60), shot and killed on his farm Schoonzicht, Seven Oaks, Rietvlei, Greytown on 25/03/1997
  • Peter Aurora Campbell (61), although not murdered on his farm, Peter a farmer from Vryheid was shot dead while delivering milk in Blood River on 26/03/1997.
  • Reginald Spencer Evans (55), shot in the face and chest at his farm Horseshoe, Camperdown, KZN on 30/06/1997
  • Christiaan Jacobus van der Walt (48), bludgeoned to death in Helpmekaar, Dundee on 05/08/1997.
  • Peter James Robert Ellson (68), and his wife Elizabeth Anne Jardine Ellson (68), hacked with panga’s on their farm Plottie in Thornville on 03/09/1997
  • Vivianna Alma Gevers (60), shot twice in the head at her farm in Paulpietersburg on 05/10/1997.
  • Roald John Seabrook Smith (28), shot five times in Kzambonambi, north of Empangeni on 12/11/1997.
  • Elizabeth Magdalena Marais (33) and her husband Nicolaas Johannes Marais (44), tortured and beaten with blunt objects in Newcastle on 25/11/1997.
• 7 further attacks occurred in the province during 1997, where the victims thankfully survived:
  • 1997: Brett Kjonstad (41), shot through window when trying to protect his daughter Claudia who was being attacked in the garden on their farm near Margate.
  • 01/04/1997: Roland Niebuhr (40), his wife Heike (34) and their three children were overpowered, tied up and robbed on their farm near Paulpietersburg.
  • 03/04/1997: William Struckmeyer (66), attacked and stabbed with a knife on his farm Rietvallei in Howick.
  • 16/03/1997: Edwin Freese (36), his wife Inge (36) and their young daughters Brenda (4) and Chantel (9) were attacked at their Farm Datton in Lilienthal, Fawn Leas. Edwin and Inge suffered severe injuries.
  • 28/09/1997: Christo Delport, attacked and shot twice on his farm Nooitgedacht in Pangola
  • 20/10/1997: Dan Ellis, was in a critical condition after he was shot in the head through a window at his farm Texel in the Nkwaleni area.
  • 26/11/1997: Wayne Botha (32), attacked by the armed men on his farm in Highflats. He was hit on the back of his head with a walking stick and shot in the stomach. Fortunately the gun was loaded with buckshot.

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:

• Official cause of death : Unnatural cause (gun shot)
• Richard married Linden Elizabeth (born Madden) on 08/09/1989

FaceBook tribute by his wife Linden Hardy on 3rd September 2020

"In memory of my beloved husband, Richard. Murdered on 3 September 1997 in Babanango, KZN."

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/jffmsa/permalink/672324496705985/

Links to Media articles:

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0UlqSM-_mwDNWJlZmMxNmYtNGMwMS00Yz...
• https://web.archive.org/web/20010423052527fw_/http://www.crimevicti...