Horror attack at Harrismith guest house

LazyLion

LazyLion

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Durban - He was the one who welcomed visitors to the guest house and made sure they had a comfortable and pleasant stay.

But the same man who had earlier shown the Pope family – who had arrived for the Easter weekend from Joburg and Durban – to their rooms turned on them in a frenzied killing spree, emptying a gun magazine into Brian, 61, and Tillie, 47, as they lay sleeping in the Free State guest house.

Not content with killing the couple, he went in search of more prey in the next-door room, where Brian’s son Warren, his daughter-in-law Marlene, both in their thirties, and their two young children, aged 1 and 4, were sleeping.

By this time, he had only one bullet left, which he used to shoot Marlene, hitting her in the arm.

However, the fact that he had no more bullets did not deter him.

He picked up a table and chair and various other objects, attempting to beat Warren to death.
Copy of nm freestate murder 4 (41442482)

The Tweevley Guest Farm near Harrismith where the murders were committed.

SUPPLIED

Warren put up a good fight, which ended outside the room.

The crazed killer did not stop. He picked up a garden pitch fork and stabbed Warren with it, piercing his neck. He collapsed and the killer left him for dead.

But the man wasn’t finished.

He returned to the room, where he beat up Marlene with a pole, and forced her and her two children into the family car.

He drove a few kilometres down the farm road to his lodgings to fetch his own wife and baby. What happened there, no one knows, but Marlene, sensing an opportunity to escape, managed to jump into the driver’s seat and, despite her shattered arm, drove away.

Police, who had been alerted by someone who heard the gunshots, arrived at the scene in minutes and met her in the driveway of the farm.

Tillie’s brother, Ockert Britz, described it as a “completely senseless and brutal murder with the sole intention to kill six innocent people”.

Britz, who believed the man must have been on drugs of some kind, said: “The owner told us that this man was highly thought of. He had been working at the guest house for four years, and the guests all praised him. The owner told us he was very confused and would never have expected this of him.”

Warren was critically injured, but spoke to police officers investigating the matter.

“He is steadily regaining consciousness and is assisting police,” Britz said.

Marlene was in hospital with a fractured skull and a splintered arm. The children were not harmed.

Britz praised the police and the way they handled the incident.

“I am highly impressed at how professional they are and at the quick arrest,” he said.

Sergeant Mmako Mophiring, spokesman for the Free State police, said the man escaped into the bushes after the attack.

“We put the area under observation and waited for him. He stayed in hiding for about 12 hours, but then, when he thought the police were gone, and came back to the guest lodge, probably to finish the job, we were there waiting for him, like a lion waits for its prey, and immediately arrested him.”

Mophiring said it was believed the gun used in the attack belonged to the guest house’s owner, but police were investigating this.

The Malawian was the guest house’s caretaker.

Mophiring said the motive for the attack was unknown.

“We can’t say it was a robbery because nothing was taken. We don’t know what led to the attack.”

The Mercury was unable to contact the owners of the guest farm, Hannes and Rozelle Hattingh.

Britz said Brian Pope had been a regional sales manager at Komatsu, a company that manufactured and sold construction and mining equipment, utilities, forest machines, and industrial machinery, in Pinetown. He had worked there for more than 30 years. Tillie was a housewife.

Brian had other children and Tillie had a daughter.

Britz said his sister had been through hard times and it meant a lot to her when she recovered from breast cancer last year.

“I know Brian had about three years before he retired and my sister was looking forward to their enjoying those retirement years together.

“They were God-fearing, honest people who were down to earthand did not deserve to die in this way,” he said.

[email protected]

The Mercury
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http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/horror-attack-at-harrismith-guest-house-1.1678475
 
COUPLED KILLED IN FSTATE GUEST HOUSE

One couple was killed and another was seriously injured during an attack at a guest house in Harrismith, Phuthaditjhaba on Sunday morning, Free State police said.

Around midnight on Sunday police found a couple aged 62 and 46 shot and killed in the bedroom at Tweevley Guest Farm, Sgt Mmako Mophiring said.

Another couple was also allegedly attacked.

"A man was allegedly stabbed with a spade fork in the chest whilst his wife was shot in the arm and also stabbed with the same spade fork in the face."

Mophiring said the wife fled the scene with her children, who were unharmed, in the couple's car.

The husband was later taken to a nearby hospital.

No arrests have yet been made.

The cause of the attacks were unclear.


Source : Sapa /mr
Date : 20 Apr 2014 18:25
 
Jeez that's awful, I wonder why the guy cracked?

Mophiring said it was believed the gun used in the attack belonged to the guest house’s owner, but police were investigating this.
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If this turns out to be true I hope he's also charged.
 
I can only imagine that the caretaker was high as a kite on something.....

No matter what the "reason" though, if the caretaker is responsible he must be put in a dark little corner of some SA jail and left to rot.
 
Glad the kids and parents are OK, those poor kids must of been scared out of their minds.
 
The attacker then simply stopped, walked out of the building and disappeared. Marlene phoned for help and searched for medical supplies, but moments later the man returned and ordered her and the children, aged 1 and 4, into a van parked outside.

“He then drove them to his home on the plot and told them to wait while he picked up his wife and child. But he had left the keys in the ignition. Marlene jumped into the front seat and sped off, to be greeted at the gate by a neighbour responding to the emergency call,” said Britz.
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http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/Guesthouse-killings-senseless-20140422
 
Jab said:
What negligence? I did not see any mention of it in the article?
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The details don't seem to indicate that the owners of the property were held up or robbed. If the caretaker used the owner's firearm, then the only two options would be that either the gun was accessible or worst still the owner left the gun with the caretaker.

This is all leveraging on whether or not it was the owners gun in the first place.
 
Jab said:
What negligence? I did not see any mention of it in the article?
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How did he get the gun? Where was it kept? How did he such easy access to it? Think for yourself. If the weapon was lying on the kitchen table and he could just take it and shoot someone then obviously there is negligence. If he forcefully took it from the farmer - different story
 
Fudzy said:
Negligence unless the gun was taking under duress from the farmer. Let's see how it turns out though.
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Slaught3r said:
How did he get the gun? Where was it kept? How did he such easy access to it? Think for yourself. If the weapon was lying on the kitchen table and he could just take it and shoot someone then obviously there is negligence. If he forcefully took it from the farmer - different story
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What farmer are you talking about?
 
Fudzy said:
The details don't seem to indicate that the owners of the property were held up or robbed. If the caretaker used the owner's firearm, then the only two options would be that either the gun was accessible or worst still the owner left the gun with the caretaker.

This is all leveraging on whether or not it was the owners gun in the first place.
Click to expand...

That's the only two options? How did you determine that?
 
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