Killed for just R9

2003-11-24 22:58

Retha Fourie

Polokwane - The life of an elderly woman was worth little to two men who murdered her - they got away with only R9.

Two suspects were picked up about 15km from the woman's farm by police soon after the attack.

Rina du Plessis, 74, was beaten with a steel pipe and axed to death on the farm in the Waterberg district near the Botswana border. She was dragged into the barn.

When her husband, known as Oom Dup, got home he went looking for his wife and was also attacked by the men.

The men dragged Du Plessis, 75, into the house where they demanded money. He told them he needed to get it from a cupboard.

Instead of money, he pulled out a shotgun and aimed it at his attackers. The two men fled.

Unable to find his wife, a badly injured Du Plessis drove to his workers' quarters for help.

They found her dead in a storeroom.

According to police, the suspects were after a lump sum of money Du Plessis apparently had withdrawn last week. All they got, however, was R9.

Two suspects are expected to appear in Lephalale magistrate's court on Wednesday.

- Beeld