Pietermaritzburg – Mystery surrounds the motive behind the murder of a Bergville farmer who was shot and killed on his farm on Saturday, it has been reported
Grain and cattle farmer Richard Vickers, 49, was shot twice while in the yard of his Tipperary Farm at around 19:45.
While The Witness was told by a source in the farming community that it was believed that Vickers’s wife Kim was robbed of around R7 000 in cash during the shooting, this could not be confirmed. Attempts to make contact with family members were unsuccessful.
News24 reported that two 9mm bullet casings were found at the scene.
Bergville residents who spoke to The Witnesssaid they were “disappointed and saddened” by the incident and added they were “suspicious” about the way the shooting happened.
“It is suspicious that someone just walked onto the farm and shot him. We heard that the killers didn’t take much but we will just have to wait and see what the police come back with,” said transport company owner Gavin Potter.
Potter said he frequently delivered goods to the Vickers’ farm.
“Richard was always calm. I doubt it was a problem over wages but these days people are killing each other over nothing. The entire farming community in Bergville is laying low for now as it is a very sad time for us. We will all have to be more vigilant after this incident,” added Potter.
The security desk chairperson of the KwaZulu Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu), Koos Marais, said the organisation is most concerned at the “ease” at which murders are being committed.
“We are concerned that there is yet another murder of a food producer in the province. It is long overdue that the government address the problem,” said Marais.
He added that police should leave no stone unturned in tracking down the killers and called on police to increase visibility in rural areas and added that farmers need to take extra precautions, especially around their homesteads.
This is the second murder and seventh farm attack in the province this year. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala confirmed that Bergville police are investigating a case of murder arising from the incident.
