By Kwezikazi Mjuza
Andrew Kroukamp, a 28-year-old man has finally been arrested on the 8th of September 2023. He was found by a farmer and his workers hiding in the bushes near his farm Goedehoop in the Hofmeyr district in the Eastern Cape. Andrew has been in hiding and on the run since the 30th of August 2023. He has been the only suspect in the murder case of 65-year-old Matthys Van Niekerk.
Matthys’s body was found at a farm where he was temporarily residing. His body was discovered with several stab wounds in the residence outside of Cradock. It is alleged that Andrew is aware of what happened to Matthy and with him being in hiding and not handing over himself to the police, it left community members of Cradock and Hofmeyr convinced that he indeed is enlightened about the events that took place on the night of Matthys’s murder.
During the 8 days search for Andrew, community members of both Hofmeyr and Cradock were left feeling unsafe as there was a possible murderer on the loose. A woman residing in Hofmeyr Dimakatso Silingela says that she felt extremely unsafe as a woman who lives alone especially at night. On the 5th of September she experienced an attempted break-in into her home around the early hours of Tuesday morning and reports that the first person she suspected was the man Andrew Kroukamp who was on the run.
The Police thanked the community for their co-operation in helping the South African Police Services to hunt down Andrew and bring him forth to face justice. He is to appear in Cradock Magistrate’s court on Monday the 11th of September. He is to be charged with murder.