Female farmer stabbed 10 times

Female farmer stabbed 10 times
2012-02-16 10:27


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Hilda Fourie, Beeld
Johannesburg - Armed robbers stabbed a female farmer in the hands at least ten times in an attempt to take her knife from her, before tying her and her daughter up for about an hour.

Reinetha Venter, 59, and her daughter René, 27, who live alone on a farm about 30km from Modjadjiskloof, were attacked on Sunday night.

Police arrived about two hours after the robbers left and Venter then had to convince officials that it was a farm attack and not just a burglary.

“Police kept saying it was a burglary,” she said on Wednesday.

Farm attack

"I kept saying it was a farm attack. Then they asked me why I was stabbed in my hands and if I tried to use my knife against the robbers.

“Of course I did. If I had a firearm I would have shot them. It was as if they [the police] tried to blame me for the attack.”

Venter is the sister of Colonel Gawie Alberts, station commander at the Villiera police station in Pretoria.

She and her daughter have lived alone on the farm since her husband died two years ago. She locked away all his firearms after his death, and placed her own firearm in a place of safety because she was overseas for much of last year.

Venter was watching TV at about 20:45 on Sunday when she heard a loud noise. Her daughter was sleeping in her bedroom.

“There was another bang and then they were in the house.”

Venter’s daughter came out of the room when she heard the noise. She and her mother were forced onto the sofa.

Stabbed

“I pulled out a little knife that I am always carrying. One of them saw it and stabbed my hands repeatedly to get the knife,” said Venter.

The attackers then tied up their feet and hands.

Venter’s daughter kept asking her mother if she was okay, which upset the attackers. The daughter was then taken to the bathroom and her mother was carried to her room.

“The leader of the group was aggressive. But when he was away, the others asked me if I was okay,” said Venter.

After an hour, the attackers left with cellphones, electronic goods, jewellery and Venter’s car.

The daughter managed to untie herself, freed her mother and called the neighbours.

No answer at police station

Neighbours called the Modjadjiskloof police station but no one answered the telephone.

Finally they managed to get hold of the Soekmekaar police, who informed their Modjadjiskloof colleagues.

Officials arrived about two hours later. Police took four statements from Venter during which she had to “repeat everything ten times”.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ronel Otto said the car was found burnt out near the house on Monday.

Otto said police will investigate Venter’s complaints about the officials.


- Beeld

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