Police in Clarens have opened multiple charges following a shooting incident on a farm involving private security personnel and two foreign nationals suspected of damaging essential infrastructure.
According to a police statement, members of a Clarens-based private K9 security company were patrolling a farm in the early hours of Sunday, 15 February 2026. At approximately 02:40, they noticed two individuals digging a trench on the property.
Authorities allege that when the security officers approached the pair, the suspects opened fire. The security personnel returned fire, striking one suspect in the leg. The second suspect managed to flee the scene and remains at large.
Upon searching the area, police discovered that copper cables on the farm had already been damaged. The cables, along with tools believed to have been used in the commission of the crime, were seized by investigating officers.
The injured suspect, identified as a 38-year-old male foreign national from a neighboring country, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He remains under police guard and is expected to appear before the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court once declared medically fit. He will face charges of damage to essential infrastructure.
In the aftermath of the incident, police confiscated two firearms. A pistol-like weapon was taken from the injured suspect, and a rifle was taken from the private security officer involved. Both firearms have been sent for forensic analysis to determine their involvement in the shootout.
While the investigation continues into the damage to infrastructure, police have opened a separate case of attempted murder against the private security officer.