Police have arrested two suspects, aged 19 and 56, from a smallholding in Bethlehem following a shooting incident on a farm in the Senekal area. Four firearms were seized during the operation.
According to police reports, on Tuesday, 7 April 2026, a 65-year-old farmer was inside his farm workshop when he noticed a white bakkie driving past his property. Approximately 15 minutes later, he heard gunshots and saw the same vehicle speeding away.
The farmer pursued the vehicle and identified the driver as his business partner from Bethlehem. During the chase, the suspect allegedly rammed the farmer’s bakkie door three times. The farmer was not injured.
Upon returning to his farm, the complainant found that his dog had been shot and killed, tractor tyres had been shot and deflated, and his hay had been set on fire.
Police further allege that the suspect had threatened the farmer via WhatsApp in November 2025, warning that he would kill him following a dispute over sheep that were removed under a court order.
On Wednesday, 8 April 2026, Senekal detectives traced and arrested the two suspects. The four confiscated firearms will be subjected to ballistic analysis.
The suspects are scheduled to appear before the Senekal Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 13 April 2026, on charges of attempted murder, malicious damage to property, and animal cruelty.