Suspect arrested for murder of KZN farm couple to appear in court
A 29-year-old suspect who was arrested for the murder of a KwaZulu-Natal couple on their farm is expected to appear in the Newcastle Magistrates Court on Monday.
Glen and Vida Rafferty were shot dead at their farmhouse last month in Normandien.
It’s understood that the suspects ransacked the house before making off with their vehicle, which has since been recovered.
The murder has sparked anger in the community, with Police Minister Bheki Cele and Premier Sihle Zikalala meeting with farmers and residents over the weekend in a bid to ease tensions.
The police’s Jay Naicker said that the suspect was handcuffed on Sunday.
“A suspect was arrested in connection with the double murder in Normandien. He was charged for two counts of murder and will appear in the Newcastle Magistrates Court on Monday. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests can be expected.”
Meanwhile, Cele is expected to visit the Normandien on Monday to give an update on investigations.
Cele’s visit comes two days after KwaZulu-Natal authorities visited the area to investigate issues more broadly.
Premier Sihle Zikalala visited the Normandien community at the weekend and established that there were tensions between farmers, farmworkers, and farm dwellers.
“The farm dwellers feel that they are not given support by the police. When they are harassed, their cases are not prioritized.”
Zikalala said that the provincial government had established a plan to deal with the challenges.
“The issue of labour conditions was raised and we have developed a plan to deal with all of those issues, including getting the Department of Labour as part of our team to work there.”
On the safety front, Cele is expected to update the community on measures the government will take to prevent the murders of farmers.
-EWN
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