Botha Murders

On Saturday the 24th of April 2021 an attack took place at the farm residence of Faan Botha, a manager at Valley Farms who returned home from his late afternoon patrols to find his home in disarray, and his wife and son lying in a pool of blood in the lounge. Faan immediately went to…

https://togethersacan.org.za/botha-murders/

Neil McKay Murder

Neil McKay was strangled to death on his farm, Skietdrif in Winterton, KwaZulu Natal on Friday the 9th of April, 2021. His body was discovered by his mother the following morning when she arrived to visit Neil. On her arrival she was told by the housekeeper who was working in the home that Neil was…

https://togethersacan.org.za/neil-mckay-murder/

de Bruin Murders

On the 14th of December 2020 on the farm ‘Hoegelee’ in Bishopstowe two suspects lured Mr Danie de Bruin (Aged 58) out of his home to serve them at the tuck shop which was located in the workshop area of the farm and serves as a staff support structure. It was here that they attacked…

https://togethersacan.org.za/de-bruin-murders/

Vorajee Culpable Homicide

On Friday, 16th October 2020 at 10:30 we activated Starlite VCAT-7 Air Support (NPO) to Harrismith to assist Const. Rajen Sanders, a KZN Provincial Organised Crime (Hawks) Member, with his extended family after a high impact collision involving their car and a truck which had veered onto their side of the road. Rajen over the…

https://togethersacan.org.za/vorajee-culpable-homicide/

Gibson Murder

Mr Graham Gibson (Aged 63) was found murdered in his vehicle on the 30th of March 2021. The vehicle was parked on the side of the road on the N11, KwaZulu-Natal near the turnoff to Dannhauser, and after closer inspection of what appeared to be a deserted vehicle, his body was discovered. Graham had sold…

https://togethersacan.org.za/gibson-murder/

Dowdall Murder

On the 27th of August 2020 Hilton and his life partner Chantal were at home watching television when a residential house robbery took place on their smallholding in Summerveld, Kwazulu-Natal. Hilton did all he could to protect Chantal but was overpowered by the group of armed assailants. The alarm was raised and all role-players and…

https://togethersacan.org.za/dowdall-murder/

STAGE 1.5

Incident – Cold 360+ Days

As a leader, I always find a day like this tough. A day to own the failure and push forward to make sure we simply do not fail !!!

I went to bed wondering what more could be done about our SVS Cold Cases knowing that I would wake up today in the full knowledge that we are on the line of failure for Mrs Zakiyya Ahmedjan Ismail (26) and Unborn Baby Ismail (4 months), who had her throat cut in a Farm Murder, Weenen, KwaZulu-Natal.

Can you imagine how she must have fought whilst being dragged to the toilet, overpowered and what Baby Ismail must have gone through in suffocation and hearing the screams as they died one after the other. Whilst unthinkable, here we are forced to wonder and unpack this murder.

Yes, one year ago today, the brutal murder took place, meaning the case changes to Stage 1.5 Incident – Cold 360+ Days.

One thing that stands out the most is we need to overhaul and rethink our crime scene management, forensics, behavioural sciences, technology support and fully adopt the 72-hour Collaboration Response Plan. This aspect of teamwork policing is the weakest.

We know that no police agency in the world acts alone, and we need to get this right. It is even more pressing in South Africa. Our challenge in South Africa is not resources nearly as much as it is knowing who to trust and knowing who to embrace.

The longer we all take to infuse this into our heads, hearts, minds, and souls that collaboration and teamwork are everything and that no single agency or organization holds the success of these matters alone, we will continue to fail our victims.

By extension, it is, in fact, a war in the mirror as we fail ourselves. As leaders, we are the most significant failure for not driving collaboration harder as our number one priority; then, and only then can we take stock of missing resources.

I know I am speaking to the converted, although at times, I cannot help but wonder if we are all indeed converted; anyway, that discussion is for another day.

Let us give our hearts, souls and deep thought to the Weenen Station Commander, Detective Commander, Lead Investigating Officer – Sgt. S Maragwane, Family, friends, and the Weenen Farm Association.

In love, light, dreams and tunnel-vision passion!

Brian Jones (SA7)
Brian's Passionate Desk

https://togethersacan.org.za/zakiyyah-ahmedjan-ismail-murder/

The birth of SVS Impacts & Prevention Analytics – Statement Creation Tool

Cases | Press Releases

https://bpd.trackbox.world/2021/10/the-birth-of-svs-impacts-prevention-analytics-statement-creation-tool/

Delaying, or Ignoring the process of justice for victims holds us back from progress as a country

Cases | Press Releases

https://bpd.trackbox.world/2021/10/delaying-or-ignoring-the-process-of-justice-for-victims-holds-us-back-from-progress-as-a-country?v=1

Samantha & Grace van de Velde: Victim Impact Statements

BPD Audio Files | Cases

https://bpd.trackbox.world/2021/10/samantha-grace-van-de-velde-victim-impact-statements/

DAYS OF FAILURE TO PROGRESS – JJ van de Velde | Culpable Homicide

It has been over 1217 days of failure to progress to an arrest from the starting date of the tragic incident on 19 October 2018 which claimed the life of JJ van de Velde to culpable homicide. This was after a series of bad choices of the accused with the cost of the day resulting in a head-on collision and the life of JJ. To date, there has been no justice or closure.

These dark times are the responsibility of all nations to at the very least never forget that justice delayed is justice denied! For the victims, perpetrators, their families, and communities involved, none can move forward in matters such as these; no matter how much time goes by, it has stopped for all those involved.

It is time for us to carry one another, to encourage one another to work through the dark times, to learn from the tragic situations, the lessons of how not to harm one another. In this we can in fact find more than justice and law because we find each other… we find greatness and so many untold heroes in these stories.

It applies to all of humanity, no matter which country you reside in, as we are connected in unity in crimes that affect us all. To this end, Governments must rise to support one another, and the new era of global technology presidents of the world must do the same.

Lastly, we must never forget that we are all human., and nor should we forget JJ.

Brian Jones (SA7)
Brian's Passionate Desk
https://togethersacan.org.za/johannis-jan-van-de-velde-jj-culpable-homicide/