Stefan Smit

Stefan Smit (1957 – 2019)

Brief overview:

Stefan, his wife and a Swiss guest were eating dinner at their farm Louiesenhof, when four masked men wearing balaclavas entered the house. All three had their hands bound with cable ties, Stefan was then executed with 3 shots to the back.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • The deceased's wife and a family friend were also in the house, but were not injured in the attack.
• The Farm/Smallholding
  • Stefan Smit’s great grandfather bought Louisenhof which formed part of Koopmanskloof in 1896. Wheat, cattle and grapes were farmed and brandy was distilled since 1860. When Stefan’s father started farming there in 1948, he planted 640 hectares under the vine. Louisenhof Wines can be found outside Stellenbosch and is currently owned by Stefan Smit who aims to produce wines in harmony with nature.
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • Aerial pictures of Stefan Smit’s private vineyards – and the squatter camp, part of Kayamandi township, that has encroached on his land – have revealed how the land grabs in Stellenbosch are unfolding.
  • http://archive.fo/6xn3R

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
  • 20h30 Sunday evening 02/06/2019
• Weapons
  • Firearm
• Items Stolen
  • Family belongings were stolen
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.
  • In his own words: “I, personally, can’t breathe here. They are bringing people down here like fodder. I have never spoken to the people myself, not directly. You don’t do that. It’s not un-dangerous. It’s not advisable. I have received threats before, where they said they would burn me alive.”

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
  • 4 suspects wearing balaclavas
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
  • Stefan's wife, Zurenah Smit (52), her brother Steven Damon a former policeman, and Derek Sait the couples body guard.
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • December 2020, all three suspects charged with Stefan's murder.

Additional Biographical Information:

Stefan Smit is the cellar master and produces Perroquet Cape Tawny, a unique style of port wine which is made in a distilling kettle. He also produced South Africa’s first bio-organic wine in 191? whilst working with his father, Stevie Smit from Koopmanskloof.

• From: https://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/westerncape/louiesenhof-wines/
• https://www.louiesenhof.co.za/about/

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.is/GuDbR
• http://archive.fo/POljX
• https://www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Misdaad/wynboer-van-stellenbosch-op-...
• http://archive.fo/ghhmC
• https://www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Misdaad/aanval-in-stellenbosch-was-n...
• http://archive.fo/mMQAr
• http://archive.fo/AWcMs
• http://archive.fo/PAeC1
• http://archive.fo/84xdk
• https://www.netwerk24.com/Stemme/Aktueel/dis-n-krisis-erken-dit-201...
• http://archive.fo/Jb70X
• http://archive.fo/400Cj
• http://archive.vn/9tarB
• https://archive.ph/edw1t
• https://archive.ph/PdV54
• https://archive.ph/1JSeo
• https://archive.ph/Y254i
• https://archive.ph/yl8HJ