About Willem van der Westhuizen
Willem van der Westhuizen (1982 – 2017)
Brief overview:
Willem van der Westhuizen (35) shot in the head with a .22 rifle on his farm Bont Heuwel, outside Griekwastad, on 31st October 2017.
“The deceased, on the day of the incident, requested the accused to evacuate the farm as he was causing trouble among the other workers. The accused killed his employer in cold blood by inflicting multiple gunshots to his head and neck. The death of the deceased left the employees destitute.”
Willem is the third farmer to have been killed on 31st October 2017:
Willie Barnard (55) was shot dead just outside Fochville, and Barry Baars (49) was found murdered near Ficksburg.
Brief Biography:
- Other Victims/Family
- Dion Barends (26), shot in the groin, survived, bullet lodged in bladder.
- The Farm/Smallholding
- Bonte Heuwel Farm
- The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
Attack Details:
- Date and time of attack
- 31/10/17 (14h00)
- Weapons
- Firearm
- Items Stolen
- Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
- Torture, Gratuitous violence
- Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.
Perpetrator details:
- Number and Descriptions
- 1 Perp
- Arrests
- Farm worker detained
- Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
- Willem Olyn (32 at time of murder)
- Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
- Trial/Conviction
- 15th May 2020 - Northern Cape High Court Judge Mpho Mamosebo sentenced Willem Olyn to life imprisonment for the murder of Willem van der Westhuizen. Olyn was found guilty on 13 charges, including murder, attempted murder, the pointing of a firearm, theft, negligent driving, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. He was further sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, four years for unlawful possession of a firearm, three years for theft, three years for negligent driving, two years for unlawful possession of ammunition and 18 months for pointing a firearm. Mamosebo ruled that all the sentences would run concurrently with the life sentence for the murder charge.
Additional Biographical Information:
Links to Media articles:
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Willem van der Westhuizen's Timeline
| 1982 |
1982
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| 2017 |
October 31, 2017
Age 35
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Griekwastad, Bo-Karoo, NC, South Africa
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