Cape Town - Police have confirmed that the third suspect wanted in connection with the murder of a Stellenbosch wine farmer was arrested on Monday morning.
In a statement, provincial police spokesperson André Traut said she was arrested at 7am.
“The third suspect, a female aged 54, was arrested this morning at about 7am and she is still being processed. She is expected to appear in the Stellenbosch Magistrate's Court on Tuesday,” Traut said.
On Friday, two suspects, aged 50 and 56, appeared in court on charges of house robbery, the illegal possession of a firearm, the illegal possession of ammunition and assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH).
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Eric Ntabazalila said the case against the two suspects had been postponed until December 17 for bail application.
Stefan Smit, 62, was shot and killed in front of his wife and a family friend visiting from Switzerland on his Louiesenhof farm on Sunday evening, June 2 last year when armed masked intruders entered their home through an unlocked door. Smit was shot multiple times in the head and body.
At the time, News24 reported that Smit was looking to emigrate amid safety concerns in the country.
Louisenhof was the target of a land invasion that made international headlines in August 2018 when hundreds of residents of nearby Kayamandi and surrounds started erecting informal housing and shacks on the property.
The motive for his murder also did not look like a “typical farm murder” as everything was neat and orderly in the home, sources told the publication.
At his memorial last year, Smit was described as a wonderful man who on weekends invited the homeless to eat on his farm as he spread the Gospel.
African News Agency (ANA)