Former Farmworker Arrested After Brutal Buffelshoek Farm Attack

Potchefstroom – A 48-year-old man, Malandela George Mbela, has been remanded in custody following a violent farm attack that left an elderly farming family traumatised in the Buffelshoek area near Potchefstroom.

According to colonel Adéle Myburgh, Mbela appeared before the Potchefstroom Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, and will remain in custody until his next court appearance on 22 October 2025.

The accused, who previously worked on the farm, allegedly attacked the farmer’s 70-year-old husband, his 68-year-old wife, and their 34-year-old daughter on Sunday morning, 12 October 2025, at their farmhouse situated along the R500 (Parys/Fochville) road.

Police reports indicate that Mbela overpowered the farmer’s wife and daughter inside a storeroom, assaulted them, and then locked them inside before proceeding to the main house where he attacked the farmer. The suspect then fled the scene in the family’s Toyota Hilux bakkie.

The two women managed to escape and alert the police and neighbouring farmers, setting off a coordinated search. The stolen vehicle was later spotted in Parys, where the suspect abandoned it and fled on foot.

Mbela later handed himself over to the police in Parys on Monday, 13 October 2025, leading to his arrest.

All three victims were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The farmer was admitted overnight and discharged the following day, while his wife and daughter received medical attention for their injuries.

Police investigations are ongoing.