- Free State police are hunting a suspect who fled after an attempt to attack a farm.
- Three of the suspect's alleged accomplices were shot and killed.
- A group of men tried to overpower a Kroonstad farmer, who subsequently fired several shots.
A Free State farmer survived what would have been a deadly attack on Thursday morning when four intruders stormed his premises.
He fired several shots, resulting in the death of three of the intruders.
The 37-year-old farmer, of Boskoppie in Kroonstad, was pounced on by the suspects as he opened his door on Thursday at around 07:20, according to Free State police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele.
Makhele said the farmer, who lives alone, was overpowered and stabbed in the neck and head.
READ | Elderly man who was shot dead at his smallholding farm in KwaZulu-Natal named
Boskoppie Lion and Tiger Reserve directed all queries to the police.
Makhele said the farmer managed to get hold of his firearm and fired several shots, killing three of his attackers.
A fourth suspect fled the scene and a police search was underway.
The farmer was taken to hospital, Makhele said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove the farmer's identity provided by police, as he has since been charged with murder and has not yet appeared in court.
