Zorena Jantze
HIGH Court judge, Dinah Usiku, found Julius Frederick Arndt and Andries Afrikaner guilty on charges of murder, rape, and housebreaking with aggravated robbery, bringing justice to the family and the deceased elderly couple, Giel Botma (79) and his wife, Sarie (80), who lost their lives in February 2018.
The third accused in the matter, Johannes Marcellinus Christiaan, was, however, found not guilty on all the seven counts, which range from murder, housebreaking, and robbery with aggravating circumstances, as well as contravention of the Combating of Rape Act, or alternatively, violating a dead body.
The deceased persons were a couple residing on Farm Lindenshoff, situated in Koës, Keetmanshoop.
(Photo 1 From left to right) accused one, Julius Frederick Arndt; accused two, Andries Afrikaner; and accused three, Johannes Marcellinus Christiaan. (Photo 2) the murdered elderly couple, Giel Botma (79) and his wife, Sarie (80). 
(Photo 1 From left to right) accused one, Julius Frederick Arndt; accused two, Andries Afrikaner; and accused three, Johannes Marcellinus Christiaan. (Photo 2) the murdered elderly couple, Giel Botma (79) and his wife, Sarie (80).
During the late night of 1 February 2018, or early morning hours of Friday, 2 February 2018, the accused persons broke or opened window(s) and/or door(s) of the deceased couple’s house and entered. They stole several properties. After the deceased couple discovered the crime, they arranged for burglar bars to be installed at their house on Monday, 5 February 2018. However, during the late-night hours of Friday, 2 February 2018, or the early morning hours of Saturday, 3 February 2018, the accused returned to the farm and broke open or opened window(s) and/or door(s) of the said house to gain entrance, and they robbed the couple of several properties.
In the course of the ransacking of the deceased couple’s residence, the accused murdered the male deceased by hitting him with an object and shooting him in the mouth with his licensed .22mm rifle, whereby he died on the scene. The accused raped the female deceased and murdered her by stabbing and/or cutting her with a sharp object and strangling her with shoelaces. The accused also broke open or opened the door giving access to the garage on the said farm, robbed the motor vehicle of the deceased couple, and also robbed other properties which were in the vehicle.
In the evaluation of evidence, Lady Justice Usiku submitted that several state witnesses and accused one (Arndt) and two (Afrikaner) show that there appear to be no dispute that they visited Farm Lindenshoff on the night of 2 to 3 February 2018.
“The reason for their visit was apparently to collect meat upon the invitation of a farm employee. It is now common cause that the three accused persons arrived on the farm during that night. After they failed to meet the farm employee who invited them, accused one (Frederick Arndt) and accused two (Afrikaner) decided to enter the farmhouse through an open window,” Usiku said.
It is alleged that accused three, who was acquitted of all charges, however, left the scene after he saw that his co-accused’s intention was to break into the farmhouse, and the purpose that they had arrived there was not to collect meat. His house was searched, and no items from the robbery were found.
“The evidence presented before this court is that accused one, when arrested in Aranos on the morning hours of 3 February 2018, was found in possession of a motor vehicle of the deceased couple. The crimes against the deceased couple were committed barely a few hours during the night of 2 to 3 February 2018. A motor vehicle is not something that could be disposed of easily. The vehicle and other valuable items were positively identified by the deceased couple’s son at the Aranos police station,” Usiku said.
She added that accused two, Afrikaner, disposed of the properties of the deceased female a few hours after the offences were committed on the farm. The properties being the ring and cell phones, which were identified by witnesses, the deceased’s son, as well as a former employee of the deceased couple, who testified before the court.
On charges of rape, Usiku said that the deceased’s DNA was found on accused one’s underwear, whilst accused one’s DNA was also found under the fingerprints of the female deceased. “That evidence clearly proves that the deceased female and accused one were in close proximity during the time of the incident,” Usiku said.
She added that Afrikaner’s presence whilst the deceased was being raped, and him doing nothing to disassociate himself from Frederick Arndt’s actions, makes him a willing participant in the crimes charged.
