The Free State is reeling after yet another farm murder. Thanks to swift action by the police, seven people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Mike Pattinson of Harrismith.
The deceased’s brother, Phillip Richard Pattinson, reported a house robbery and missing person on Monday, 24 July at the Harrismith Police Station after a worker noticed that the kitchen door had been broken open.
Mike Pattinson was the chief financial officer at Harriston Private School in Harrismith and lived alone on the farm Summerslie.
According to the housekeeper, the deceased was last seen at 17:00 on Saturday afternoon, which led the police to believe that the crime could have taken place on Saturday night.
Deceased found with head and neck wounds
Information regarding the location of the deceased’s vehicle was followed up by the police, who spotted and pursued the vehicle at the Lejwaneng Village in QwaQwa’s Tseseng policing area. The body of the deceased, with head and neck wounds, was found in a house together with stolen items which were seized.
Jakkals le Roux, chairman of Free State Agriculture’s (FSA) rural safety committee said, “FSA believes that justice will prevail and that sufficient burden of proof in the courts will lead to successful prosecutions with heavy sentences against the perpetrators.”
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Rise in farm attacks
Dr Jane Buys, safety risk analyst of FSA, said a recent analysis carried out by FSA on the past eight financial years of farm attacks and murders in the Free State, shows that serious violent crimes have a tendency to increase in winter months as well as in the months leading up to the festive season.
Buys added that a farm attack took place in the Tweeling area last week, where a worker was seriously assaulted by three suspects who were arrested by the farmer and fellow workers.
FSA deplores the attacks on farms that are aimed at any person on farms, be it a producer, a worker, or a resident. Farmers and their workers involved in apprehending offenders also put their own lives at risk in order to ensure their own safety.
Be on the lookout
Le Roux advised farming communities to report any information regarding suspicious movement on their farms to the rural safety coordinator of the police, and the safety representative of the farmers’ association concerned.
In addition, they should not allow strange persons and or visitors onto their farms without the necessary permission and completion of a visitor register.
Farming communities are also requested to update their safety and contingency plan in their area and make sure that they participate in exercises within the Rural Safety Strategy (RSS) with the police.
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