TWO more men were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a northern KwaZulu-Natal farming couple, but their son has taken little joy from the outcome as it wouldn’t bring back his parents.
Glen, 63, and Vida, 60, Rafferty were ambushed and killed by armed men as they entered their farm home in Normandien, near Newcastle, after a night out with friends on August 30, 2020.
Glen was shot multiple times as he attempted to unlock their front door, this caused Vida to scream and she was also gunned down.
Jessie, the couple’s Australian cattle dog, was also shot during the commotion and was found dead in Glen’s arms.
“I’m still suffering the after-effects from the fact they went in a violent way.
“It has been an ongoing journey for the last two years. You never completely heal from something like this,” said Nathan Rafferty, the couple’s younger of two sons.
He said there was always something that triggered memories of that “awful” day.
“People being put away doesn't give us any joy because it doesn't bring my parents back,” said Nathan.
The attacker’s mission was to access the Raffertys’ safe. Having broken into the home earlier that evening and not being able to crack open the safe, the robbers decided to lie in wait for the couple's return.
All they made-off with eventually was the Rafferty’s vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Elandslaagte, a few items with little value, including a laptop and a screen linked to the home’s CCTV system.
Doctor Ngwenya, 20, who lived on a nearby farm and is believed to be the instigator of the attack, along with Sibongiseni Madondo, 33, were sentenced to life plus 20 years of imprisonment each, when they appeared in the Madadeni High Court on November 15.
Four men in total were arrested for the Rafferty murders.
Sizwe Zwane, 33, was another. He pleaded guilty to the charges in March and received 10 years imprisonment on one count of robbery and 25 years imprisonment each for two counts of murder.
His sentences will be served concurrently.
Siyabonga Macu, 29, who previously confessed to his involvement, was a key State witness in the trial of Ngwenya and Madondo.
But on the day he was due to testify on October 22, Macu was murdered.
The couple’s other son, Dale, also testified at the trial.
Dale, who farmed with his father, has since sold the farm and moved on with his life.
“After all that happened, as well as testifying in court, it was too traumatic for him (Dale),” said Nathan.
Nathan said Dale had to remove the couple’s other dogs for investigators to work at the crime scene and access the bodies.
“He had to see the bodies. Dale has packed up farming and is now living a new life,” he said.
Nathan said he didn’t attend the court proceedings, but was kept abreast of happenings by police investigators.
“To be honest, even the thought of going back to Newcastle has been too traumatic. It might take a while.
“I have never been to the farm or the town. There are too many traumatic memories there,” he said.
Nathan, who lives in Cape Town, was supposed to have travelled to his parent’s home with his wife on the night they were killed, after a work appointment in Cullinan, near Pretoria, but decided against it.
He was told of their deaths by Dale while driving on their way to Normandien the next morning.
Nathan believed his father became an “easy target” because he was a “pacifist'' and was not a stereotypical farmer who would carry a firearm.
“He was a strong Christian, who tried to do his best for everyone around him,” he said.
Nathan said his father was their moral compass and he was very close to his mother and they were “good friends”.
“There was huge public support because of the type of people they were. It was a shock for everyone. They didn’t expect people like them to be killed,” he said.
Nathan said farming has been in their family for many years. His father studied and worked as a civil engineer but returned to farming after a while.
“Dad was always a cattle farmer. My grandfather said he was too much of an impatient person to grow crops because he would plant something and dig it up to check if it was growing,” he said.
Vida grew up in Dundee but taught at St Dominic's School in Newcastle for many years.
Nathan said his family was pleased with the work done by the investigators handling the matter.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE