Johannesburg - A business owner and a robber were shot dead during a robbery on a smallholding in Boschkop, east of Pretoria, police said on Tuesday.
The men were killed at the businessman's shop on Monday morning, Captain Marissa van der Merwe said.
Two men went to the Charlie General Dealer, which was part of the family house on the smallholding, pretending to want to buy a bag of maize.
They entered the shop when the business owner's wife, Ralie Groenewald, 72, opened the security gate to hand the maize to them.
One of the men throttled the elderly woman, while the other man went through the shop and entered the main bedroom in the house. He woke the 76-year-old shop owner, who was asleep at the time, and pointed a firearm at him.
“A fight started between Mr Groenewald and the suspect, whereby... two shots went off,” said Van der Merwe.
Groenewald was shot in his chest and died on the scene. The two robbers were unable to steal anything and fled the scene.
One of the robbers was wounded in his stomach during the robbery. He was found dead in the road about a kilometre from the shop. The other man was still at large.
The first names and ages of the business owner and his wife were reported in Beeld newspaper, as police only provided the surname. - Sapa