Photo: FW Archive
Mbela (48), a former employee of the farm, first appeared in court on 13 October after he voluntarily handed himself over to the police.
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This followed the attack on the 70-year-old farmer, his 68-year-old wife, and their 34-year-old daughter on their farm along the R500 between Parys and Fochville on 12 October.
According to a statement by North West South African Police Force spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh, Mbela allegedly overpowered the farmer’s wife and daughter inside a storeroom.
He was accused of assaulting the pair, locking them inside the storeroom, then proceeding to the farmhouse, where he assaulted the farmer before fleeing in the couple’s bakkie.
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The women managed to escape shortly after the incident and alerted the police and neighbouring farmers. The bakkie was subsequently spotted in Parys, but the suspect abandoned it and fled on foot.
All three victims were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The farmer had to be admitted and was discharged the following day.
No further information was available at the time of writing.
