A French couple who shot dead a student police constable on a Sutherland farm last week were killed in a gun battle with police on Thursday.
Police on Thursday confirmed that they had found two bodies in a building on the Hardie farm after a shootout at about noon.
Sutherland police spokesperson Colonel Hendrick Swart said the weapons and ammunition that Philippe and Agnis Neniere had escaped with on Friday were found in the derelict building.
He said police had headed out last night with extra infra-red sensors, and picked up activity in the building.
Shortly before noon today, a Cape Argus photographer witnessed a group of heavily armed policemen and officers from the national intervention unit descend on a building opposite the main house at the Hardie farm, seek cover behind several buildings and start shooting.
Stun grenades were thrown and shots echoed around the farm.
After a few minutes the shooting stopped and officers moved towards the house. Others high-fived each other.
Shortly after the shooting, farm owner Gerhardus du Plessis told the Cape Argus that police had told him that the Nenieres, who lived on his farm for 12 years, were dead.
Standing on one of the roads leading to his farm, Du Plessis said: “I never thought I would be so glad to hear that somebody was dead.”
Thursday marked the sixth day of police’s efforts to track the couple down.
Last Friday, when police, accompanied by Du Plessis and his sons went to evict the couple, they allegedly opened fire, killing student constable Jacob Boleme and injuring Warrant Office Glenwall du Toit, before fleeing.
Du Plessis said the couple had become withdrawn and anti-social and behaved strangely before the incident.
Philippe was a qualified doctor and served as a superintendent at Johannesburg Central Hospital before moving to the Karoo.
The couple belonged to the Ramtha School of Enlightenment.
Du Plessis said yesterday that the couple had a penchant for talking about astral projection and tried to introduce him to the Ramtha School.
Du Plessis said he had invited the couple to live on the farm 12 years ago after they arrived in the town with a tour group and decided to stay.
“They said they liked the cold; it reminded them of France,” he said.
Du Plessis said they had lived as guests on the farm and had not paid rent.
He said they had agreed that the couple would stay for five years and they would “see how things go”.
The relationship had gradually become strained.