A peaceful Sunday afternoon turned into a nightmare for an elderly Free State couple when armed robbers stormed their farm, launched a violent attack, and kidnapped a farmer before abandoning him tied to a tree.
Now, nearly two decades behind bars await the two men responsible.
Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thabang Lesia has welcomed the sentencing of two criminals whose brutal actions left an elderly couple traumatised and shocked a rural farming community near Smithfield.
The terrifying ordeal unfolded shortly after 1.30pm on a Sunday when the couple, aged 78 and 81, returned home from a church service.
According to Free State Provincial Corporate Communication Head Thandi Mbambo, the attack began the moment the 81-year-old wife noticed something unusual.
As the couple approached their home, she saw that the kitchen door was slightly open. Concerned, she stepped inside to investigate.
What happened next would change the course of the day.
She was ambushed by two armed men who overpowered her without warning. The attackers assaulted her, stabbed her in the hand and forced her back outside at knifepoint to confront her husband as he approached the house.
The elderly couple were then forced inside and restrained with cable ties.
The suspects ransacked the property, searching for valuables and cash. They stole cellphones, jewellery and money before escalating the ordeal even further.
In a calculated act of extortion, the robbers forced the 78-year-old farmer to transfer R15,000 into a bank account belonging to a relative of one of the accused.
The criminals then broke open a safe, stealing an additional R6,000 and more jewellery.
But the violence did not end there.
The farmer was kidnapped and forced into his own Mercedes-Benz before being driven away from the property. The suspects eventually left him tied to a tree and fled.
Meanwhile, his injured wife displayed extraordinary courage.
Despite her injuries and the trauma of the attack, she managed to free herself. She then climbed a nearby mountain in search of cellphone reception and successfully contacted local farmers and police for help.
Her actions triggered a rapid response from law enforcement and members of the farming community.
Police quickly tracked the suspects and intercepted them on the road to Bethulie.
Sechaba Silence Maseli, 29, and Sammy Pakiso Paint, 38, were cornered, arrested and handed over to Smithfield police.
Authorities recovered all stolen property, including the farmer’s Mercedes-Benz.
Investigators later discovered that Maseli had previously worked on the farm, adding another layer of shock to the case.
Following a successful prosecution, the two men received lengthy prison sentences on multiple charges.
They were sentenced to:
- 20 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances
- Five years’ imprisonment for kidnapping
- Four years’ imprisonment for contravention of the Cybercrimes Act
- Four years’ imprisonment for fraud
- One year imprisonment for possession of suspected stolen property
The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 20 years’ direct imprisonment for each accused.
Both men were also declared unfit to possess firearms.
Lieutenant General Lesia praised Detective Constable Macpherson and the prosecution team for their work in securing the convictions and ensuring the offenders were removed from society.
“This sentence sends a clear message that attacks on our farming communities will be met with the full might of the law,” said Lesia.
The case stands as a powerful example of how swift police action, determined investigators and courageous victims can help bring dangerous offenders to justice, even after one of the most traumatic crimes imaginable.