Suna Steenberg

Suna Steenberg (1967 – 2010)

Brief overview:

Attack 16th April 2010. Suna Steenberg, who managed Montana Pale and Lapa's with her husband Jurie, was shot twice in the head whilst fighting off three armed perpetrators who were attacking her mother-in-law, Tannie (Aunty) Poppy, in the lounge of their Leeufontein smallholding. Suna opened fire on the three perpetrators posing as policemen wearing police uniforms.
The three gunmen managed to gain entry into the heavily fortified double-storey home, which is surrounded by security surveillance cameras and high walls. Once Inside the armed perpetrators attacked Steenberg's mother-in-law in her bedroom. Her screams alerted Steenberg, who grabbed her husband's gun from a safe and ran to her rescue. Steenberg opened fire on the perpetrators, one of whom managed to disarm her and grabbed her around the neck. He shot her at point blank range, striking her through the temple and back of the head. At least one of the perpetrators is believed to have been severely wounded in the bedroom, which police say resembled a "war zone" and a "slaughterhouse". There were bullet casings and blood everywhere. He added that they had been told at least one of the gunmen was wearing clothes which resembled police uniform. A family friend, Stefan Jooste, who was phoned by his workers while offloading poles at the Steenbergs' home at the time of the attack, said when he arrived at the house it looked like a bloodbath. He contacted Jurie, explaining that Suna had been shot. He relayed the horrific scene, saying that he could hardly recognise Suna as her eyes were bulging out of her head and her face was covered in blood. The police used helicopters to search for the suspects, who escaped in a black Ford Laser. Officers cordoned off the scene and forensic experts looked for clues to the gunmen's identities. Police Spokesperson Constable Mable Sibanda described the attack as follows - "When the men walked into the house they grabbed the elderly woman and forced her downstairs where they demanded money and valuables. As they attacked the woman, her daughter-in-law, who heard the screams for help, grabbed her gun, ran to her rescue and opened fire on the robbers, who returned fire and shot Steenberg in the head before they fled". Sibanda said it was not known if the gunmen had stolen anything, and that no arrests had been made and police were appealing for information on the identity and whereabouts of the gunmen. Sibanda said a case of attempted murder and attempted armed robbery was being investigated. Family spokesman and neighbour, Gert Bester, said Steenberg was in a critical condition in Montana Hospital. At the time of Suna being transported to hospital, the swelling to her brain was too severe and surgeons could not operate. Suna was in a coma and passed six months later from her injuries. Tannie Poppie had not been injured in the attack.

This article was originally published on page 4 of The Pretoria News on April 17, 2010

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • The attack came 10 days after matriculant, Ernest Hoon (18), was shot dead in an armed robbery on his parents' smallholding less than 3km away
  • Jurie Steenberg, (55), whose wife Suna died in 2010, six months after she was shot in the head during a violent robbery at their smallholding in Kameeldrift, near Cullinan, was forced to relive the trauma of his first wife’s death when robbers pounced again in June 2016, shooting his second wife Riekie Steenberg to death and seriously injuring him.

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:

Links to Media articles:

• http://archive.fo/fz1is
• http://archive.fo/pzllQ
• http://archive.fo/81j9W
• http://archive.fo/r6cCy
• https://archive.fo/Ap7Hc
• http://archive.fo/NJ6ej
• http://archive.fo/7eaT2
• http://archive.fo/NOjty
• http://web.archive.org/web/20101013022104/http://www.beeld.com/Suid...
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000194914972821