Two in court for allegedly burning Limpopo farmer and wife beyond recognition

A crime scene unfolds during a police operation in Helenvale.

Two men appear in court for allegedly killing an elderly farmer and his wife in Limpopo. PHOTO: Raahil Sain/ANA

Published Apr 25, 2022

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Rustenburg - Two men arrested in connection with the murder of 74-year-old farmer and his wife, appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate Court on Monday, the National Prosecuting Authority said.

NPA spokesperson in Limpopo, Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi, said the case against Mukhethwa Goodman Magoma, 20, and Engetelo Advance Sambo, 18, was postponed to May 11 for investigation.

Magoma and Sambo were arrested on April 21 at their Hasani village homestead next to Malamulele area, following the murder of Andries Nicolas Louis and his wife, Ina Cloete.

The couple died after they were tied up and their farmhouse was set on fire during a house robbery on their Levubu farm on April 20.

"Police investigations revealed that the Cloetes were accosted by the suspects who attacked the farmhouse and took several items, including firearms, and loaded them into the family vehicle. They then set the house alight before leaving.

"A passer-by noticed two strangers in the premises. The two were about to leave the premises in the farmer’s vehicle but realised they had been spotted and fled the scene on foot, leaving the vehicle full of belongings behind.

“Police were notified and on arrival, found the farmhouse on fire, with the farmer and his wife still inside," Malabi Dzhangi said.

The arrest of Magoma and Sambo came after Limpopo provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, ordered a 72-hour activation to trace the suspects after the couple was attacked at their farm in Levubu outside Thohoyandou.

General Hadebe has praised the members and all other stakeholders who assisted in the hunt for the suspects for their dedication which led to this success. A search for the remaining suspect is still continuing.

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