The discovery of the body of a 57-year-old Piketberg farmworker, days after she was reported missing, has sent shock waves through the farming community.
Leentjie Adams was last seen leaving friends and family on a neighbouring farm last weekend.
Adams was reported missing to the Piketberg police after she did not arrive home on Saturday.
Her body was later found covered with building material, following a search operation on Tuesday morning.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Piketberg police were investigating a case of murder.
“Piketberg police were searching for the mentioned victim. On (September 5) at around 10.30am they found the body of the 57-year-old women covered with partial zink roof between the bush in a footpath which connect two local farms.
“The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. The unknown suspect/s who fled the scene are yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is yet to be determined,” he said.
Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation executive director Billy Claasen urged police to leave no stone unturned in their investigation.
“We call on the police and courts to do their work properly and also to impose harsher sentence on crimes like these so that these kind of evil attacks in the agricultural industry can be stopped,“ he said.
Piketberg community activist Hashim Scheepers said they were saddened and disturbed by another murder in the community.
“We are truly saddened by another murder on a farm on Piket-bo-berg we want to send condolences to the family, but also want to ask for a definition of the term Plaasmoorde (farm murders) because when it's a white owner who is murdered... the murder gets investigated at a provincial level. We hope for the same justice for this case,” Scheepers said.
Cape Times