GARDEN ROUTE | HESSEQUA | KAROO NEWS - A 74-year-old Cradock woman, Ina de Lange, was assaulted by a knife-wielding man on 29 May, less than a month after the murder of Patricia Orpen (78) on a neighbouring farm on 5 May.
De Lange, who lives with her daughter on the farm approximately 10km outside Cradock, was outside her house on 29 May at around 10:30 when a man dressed in black and wearing a balaclava grabbed her from behind and threatened her with a knife.
Cradock police spokesperson, Captain Lariane Jonker, said the woman pressed the panic button, causing the alarm to go off and the suspect to run away.
Police and security personnel rushed to the scene, but the suspect had escaped.
Evidence suggests that the suspect wasn't alone, as the police found two jackets on the escape route.
A case of assault was opened.
The civil rights organisation AfriForum and the family farm network Saai will fight any state resistance against neighbourhood and farm watches who resume legal operations. According to Dr Theo de Jager, chairperson of Saai, farm attacks have increased over the past few days. "We want our farmers to be able to protect themselves, and one of the most important ways to achieve this is through patrols." E-mail veiligheid@afriforum.co.za to report unjust action against legal neighbourhood and farm watch operations.
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