Five Suspects Arrested in Brutal Ventersdorp Farm Attack
Five suspects aged between 26 and 56 have been arrested in connection with the brutal farm attack on North West cattle farmer Donovan Marx.
Two suspects were arrested in the Ventersdorp area on Saturday, 31 October, while three others were apprehended in Promosa, near Potchefstroom, on Sunday, 1 November.
During the latest arrests, police seized four firearms, two of which have been linked to the attack, as well as clothing and jewellery.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, 3 November, facing charges including house robbery, attempted murder and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The attack took place on the morning of Wednesday, 28 October, at Marx’s farm in the Syferfontein area between Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom.
According to police, three armed men wearing balaclavas approached a farmworker who was mowing the lawn, tied him up with cable ties and waited for the farmer to arrive.
When Marx arrived in his red Isuzu bakkie, the attackers allegedly shot him in the upper body, dragged him into the house, stabbed and assaulted him, and cut off both his earlobes.
The suspects allegedly stole firearms from a safe before fleeing in Marx’s bakkie, which was later recovered abandoned.
Marx, 50, remains in a stable condition in the intensive care unit at Mediclinic Potchefstroom. His family has confirmed that surgeons removed part of his large intestine and were unable to save his ears. Prosthetic options may be considered once he has recovered sufficiently.
The North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Arthur Peter Adams, previously described the attack as brutal and sadistic and welcomed the initial arrests as a breakthrough in the investigation.
