Skeerpoort – Landlord kills tenant

26/09/2024News

Frikkie Knoetze (51)

A 51-year-old Hartbeespoort resident was allegedly shot and killed by his landlord (72) on Sunday.
Frikkie Knoetze was shot in the head after approaching his landlord Paul Badenhorst on a smallholding in Skeerpoort about electricity and water supply that was cut off. The 72-year-old Badenhorst was arrested later the same day.
According to Knoetze’s wife Marilize, the couple approached Badenhorst on Sunday morning when they had no electricity and water in the house they rent. “He was locked in his house and Frikkie called and rattled the safety gate to attract his attention. He came to the door with a firearm and told Frikkie he was going to shoot him and then he fired a shot. My husband fell to the ground. His head was full of blood. The landlord told me to run, he was going to shoot me too,” Marilize told Kormorant.
“I ran to the car and my son and I put Frikkie into the car and rushed him to the hospital in Brits where Frikkie was declared dead.”
According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani, police were called to the scene and upon arrival the suspect had fled. “The suspect fled the scene while the victim was transported to the hospital. The suspect was arrested during an intelligence driven operation conducted in the Skeerpoort area around 14:00 on Sunday. The police also recovered a firearm, which will be subjected to ballistic tests.”
Badenhorst appeared in the Brits Magistrates Court on Wednesday on a charge of murder. The case was postponed to 27 September for formal bail application.