Robert Peter Robertson

Robert "Robbie" Peter Robertson (1949 - 2005)

Brief overview:

Robbie (56), a well-known pigeon farmer from a smallholding in Vallombrosa, Bloemfontein, was found bound, beaten, kicked to death.

Robertson was attacked on the morning of 17th November 2005, at his pigeon lofts in Van Vuuren Ave, He suffered throat and skull injuries which, according to an autopsy, caused his death. He was also beaten, kicked and tied up.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • See Louis Strydom

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
  • He was robbed of his bakkie and other items totaling R95 000.
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
  • BDR1109/2005
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
  • Acting judge Marina Voges said Robertson was deprived of his most precious possession while he was already retired and after a peaceful life. He didn't stand a chance against the preponderance of young men, and was brutally assaulted. That his body was treated with contempt is evident from the condition in which he was found bound. "Not even an animal should be treated like this. The barbarism fills one with horror."
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
  • Members of the police's serious and violent crime unit sniffed out and arrested a 23-year-old man from his "hiding place" in Freedom Square yesterday around 12:00, Capt. Elsa Gerber, police spokesperson, said. Gerber says the 23-year-old suspect and a 27-year-old man who was already arrested on Thursday evening are connected to Robertson's strangulation. "The 23-year-old man is apparently a Lesotho citizen who apparently bided his time and intended to slip back to this country," she said. She says the men stayed at the same address in Phase 6, where the 27-year-old man was arrested.
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • The four were each sentenced to life imprisonment in the Free State High Court.
  • Albert Maqheane (38), Jonas Maqheane (42), and Modupe Motaung (42), all three Lesotho citizens who lived in the vicinity of Bloemfontein, and Joseph Nthetha (25), from Phase 6, Bloemfontein, is through acting judge Marina Voges also each on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances sentenced to up to 15 years prison. She ordered that the sentences be served concurrently.
  • The fact that Albert Maqheane worked for Robertson counts aggravatingly against him. He probably has a played an important role in that he probably provided information. "You have bitten the hand that fed you."
  • Nthetha was the one who had the firearm and was driving Robertson's bakkie. Jonas Maqheane played a role in the sale of the booty.

Additional Biographical Information:

• Official cause of death : Head Injuries
• Identity Number : 4903315046087

Links to Media articles:

• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000192006377823
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000187552725875
• https://www.yumpu.com/nl/document/read/4451339/laai-af-die-lys-van-...