Bonnievale farm murders: Arrest made in connection with death of elderly couple

Police have made a breakthrough in the Bonnievale farm murder case, in which an elderly couple were found in their property in the Cape Winelands.

Piet and Elmien Steyn, both in their 70s, were shot dead while they slept, and their property was raided, while a vehicle belonging to them was stolen.

It was the car that led to the gruesome discovery of the couple’s bodies, as it was after it was spotted driving close to town that police went to investigate the Zandfontein farm.

According to IOL, an arrest connected to the murder has now been made, after police detained a 33-year-old man in McGregor, a rural town not too far from the murder scene.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa says the man was found in possession of one of the couple’s belongings.

The suspect is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Spotlight on Western Cape farm attacks

The incident has brought the thorny issue of farm attacks further into the spotlight, with lobby group AfrForum noting that this was the 23rd such attack in the Western Cape alone this year.

Earlier this week, a family was attacked in a farm near Paarl, and the perps walked away with three handguns belonging to the victims.

Following the recent murder, AfriForum’s Ian Cameron expressed concern at the frequency of farm attacks in the province.

“It’s worrying for us to see this sudden increase, specifically farm attacks in the Western Cape in the last two months. And there’s a definite increase since the beginning of November up to the middle of December,” he said.

According to official figures released by the South African Police Services, 62 people were killed in farm attacks across the country in the period between 2017 and 2018.