Anthea du Preez was found shot dead at their family farm, De Denne, on December 1. Anthea du Preez was found shot dead at their family farm, De Denne, on December 1.
Cape Town -
A Brackenfell man arrested for the murder of a farmer’s wife stood calmly in the dock alongside the woman’s son in the Rawsonville Magistrate’s Court – appearing in a separate theft case.
On Friday, Morné “Bossie” Boshof, 41, arrested for the murder of Anthea du Preez, 64, appeared alongside Du Preez’s son, Hennie du Preez jr, who is accused of two counts of theft.
Those charges relate to wine valued at R157 000 and the theft of tools from the farm on which Du Preez was allegedly trespassing. They have both pleaded not guilty.
Du Preez jr faces charges related to incidents in 2012, and is accused of trespassing on Excelsior, a farm owned by his father, Hennie du Preez sr. It is alleged that on four days in February and July 2012 he ignored warnings that he could go on to the farm property only to get to the house.
The tools include a welding machine and tractor keys. It was reported that at that stage Du Preez jr was no longer an employee or a director at the farm.
He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and claims the items were his.
The matter was postponed to April 16, after Boshof decided to appoint a new Legal Aid attorney.
In a separate matte, Du Preez jr faces a fraud case in the Worcester Magistrate’s Court.
He is out on a warning while Boshof remains in custody.
Anthea du Preez was found shot dead at their family farm, De Denne, on December 1. Boshof, who worked on the farm but lived in Brackenfell, was arrested two days later.
Boshof was on parole at the time. He had been previously sentenced to four years in prison for theft. He was released on parole after eight months.
The court heard that a parole officer who was expected to “provide clarity” on Boshof’s parole conditions was unavailable.
He has yet to apply for bail in the murder case.
Magistrate Andrew le Fleur postponed the matter to Friday.
It is believed Du Preez was shot execution-style. Her body was found tied up.
In December, Boshof reportedly tried to commit suicide while in custody.
Du Preez’s funeral was held on the day of Boshof’s first court appearance in connection with the murder.
natasha.prince@inl.co.za
Cape Argus