Bonnievale farm attack: Teen arrested for murder, attempted murder
15 May 2019
Police are questioning a 19-year-old man in connection with the killing of a Bonnievale farmer and the serious injury of his wife during a robbery this week, Western Cape police said on Thursday.
"Kindly be advised that our investigations into the Bonnievale murder and attempted murder led to the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect, who has been detained for questioning," said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut.
"One of the firearms stolen during the incident, a .22 rifle has been seized. The suspect is scheduled to make a court appearance once he has been charged."
Traut said other suspects involved in the attack were yet to be arrested.
Vintner Tool Wessels was killed and his wife Liezel was stabbed and reportedly also burned with boiling water during the attack by four people, as they were leaving for church activities on Monday night.
Tool Wessels was found about 200m from the house and Liezel Wessels managed to summon help and is currently receiving medical care in hospital.
Netwerk24 reported on Thursday that their daughters Annelie and Jana did not want to go back to their home.
Annelie Wessels, 23, said she did not even want to know what had happened during the attack.
"I do not want to know the details," she said. "I have asked everybody not to tell me."
Bonnievale is in the Western Cape, about 180km east of Cape Town, and is close to the Breede River.
Die Burger reported that Annelie and Jana, who are students at Stellenbosch University, had rushed to be at their mother's side in hospital. It is understood that she is an accountant at one of the wineries in the area.
Attacks on farms are a hot-button topic for certain constituencies who feel particularly vulnerable, and feel that the government is not doing enough to protect them.
