A 46-year-old woman from Aliwal North, identified as Anelle de Bruin, appeared in court on Wednesday for allegedly conspiring to murder her husband in what she allegedly intended to stage as a farm attack.
Aliwal North woman appears in court for farmer’s murder plot
De Bruin, the wife of a prominent Eastern Cape farmer, was arrested on 9 January 2025 after police received a tip-off from a middleman she had allegedly hired to arrange the killing.
According to police investigations, De Bruin had already made a down payment to the middleman and promised the remainder of the money once the murder was carried out and insurance payouts were processed.
She allegedly instructed that, after her husband was shot at their farm, the hired hitmen must also shoot the family’s dogs and damage the vehicle’s tyres to make it look like a random attack.
Police further revealed that she had calculated the response time of neighbouring farmers to ensure the plan appeared convincing.
Authorities believe De Bruin stood to inherit more than R50 million from her husband’s death.
She made a brief appearance at the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court, where the prosecution requested a postponement for further investigations.
The court granted the request, setting the next hearing for 23 April 2025.
Prosecutors stated that several statements, photo albums, and cellphone records were still outstanding in the case.
De Bruin remains out on R2,000 bail under special conditions: she may not return to the farm and is only allowed supervised visits with her children.
Case unfolds amid controversy over farm murder statistics
De Bruin’s case comes as Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and AfriForum remain locked in a dispute over farm murder statistics. AfriForum recently accused SAPS of underreporting farm murders, claiming that eight incidents took place between October and December 2024, contradicting SAPS’s official count of just one case.
Police Minister Mchunu confirmed that authorities are reviewing the data.
“Preliminary findings indicate that, of the incidents listed, only one murder of a farm owner is reflected. This corresponds with the single case reported in the official crime statistics for the third quarter,” he said.
AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk has dismissed the minister’s stance, arguing that the government is attempting to downplay the reality of farm murders.
“Minister Mchunu’s claim communicates to families of the victims that farm murders are not a priority. We cannot allow politicking to take precedence over the reality of murders,” Broodryk stated.
The Ministry of Police insists that SAPS remains committed to transparency and accurate crime reporting, urging all parties to work together to ensure credible statistics.
Meanwhile, De Bruin’s case is set to continue in April as investigators build their case against her.
