Helgard Muller (1945 - 2011)

Brief overview:

Helgard (66), a murdered Free State farmer, was still breathing when his youngest son, Helgard Jnr. found him in the passage of the farmstead, after he was shot in the head.

The police and and ambulance were called after the attack but Muller, from the farm Mara in the Frankfort district, died on the way to a hospital in Vereeniging. The attack happened four days after his birthday. Helgard's wife Marietjie Muller (61), who is confined to a wheelchair, and their domestic worker were gagged and tied up with shoelaces and then left in different rooms. The perpetrators asked for the safe keys and cash.

Helgard had gone to check his cattle, upon arriving back, two armed men ambushed him. They shot him in the head before fleeing in his Isuzu bakkie (Pick-up truck) with R700 and cellphones which they had stolen, which was found abandoned on a gravel road near Frankfort. Police spokesperson Captain Harry Nagel said the men were armed with a firearm and a stick.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family

^^Muller is survived by his wife, Marietjie (61), boys, Nelis (40), Niel (39), and Helgard jr. (27), daughter Hannah Coetzee (36), and seven grandchildren.

• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
  • Two men and a woman from Frankfort were arrested. The police found the revolver with which Muller was allegedly shot in the young woman’s house. Nagel said the suspects will appear in the magistrate’s court in Frankfort on Monday.
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • 30th November 2011 - On trial on murder charges -Temba Ncala (19), Albiner Motloung (31), and his wife Sibongile Mnguni (29). They deny all guilt.

Additional Biographical Information:

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.ph/1feGz
• https://www.ofm.co.za/article/local-news/83029/alleged-frankfort-fa...
• http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2011/02/muller-helgard-66...
• https://newsessentials.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/south-africa-anothe...
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000189153377827