Widow sues SAPS: farmer/gunsmith Kobus de Vries, died in a hail of police bullets:
2011-10-17 BABANANGO, KZN. Reknown gunsmith/farmer Kobus de Vries' widow is suing the SA police Minister for more than R4-million for loss of spousal support after her husband died in a police-siege. They attacked him for an allegedly ‘illegal arms-cache’ but every one of the firearms on his farms were legally-registered: he was a legally-registered, qualified gunsmith with all the necessary, legal permits.
Kobus de Vries, 54 (holding the dog), with his friends: he died in a hail of police bullets. Police first tried to have the public believe he’d committed suicide: with two gunshot wounds in the middle of his back, made with two different firearms.
On January 20, 2011 Babanango farmer Kobus de Vries, 54, died in a hail of police bullets when his homestead was surrounded by about 40 armed policemen.His widow, Rentia, who is a trained veterinarian, is taking the minister of police to court to hold him accountable for the death.In court papers filed this week by her legal representative, attorney Carel Taute, Mrs Rentia de Vries,m a veterinarianwho has since moved to Somerset West, is asking for R4 008 000 to compensate her for the loss of spousal support.
She is also requesting interest on the amount. Taute said that Mrs Rentia de Vries had been looked after by her husband - who was reknown for his gunsmith skills amongst the Afrikaner community -- at R200,000 ($20,000) a year. She did not work at the time, but has since then, been forced to accept a poorly paying job because of her husband’s murder. he circumstances surrounding the execution-style killing of De Vries remain murky: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2011/01/boer-gunsmith-kobus-de-vries-another.html
SAPS spokesman Col Jay Naicker said at the time that the information at his disposal ‘indicated that De Vries was shot when he fired at local police and tactical response team members after a stand-off at his farmhouse”.
However onlookers and witnesses dispute this vehemently: saying he was lured from his homestead by a ploy with a trust employee -- and was then gunned down in cold blood as he stepped outside his homestead. Initial police-reports claimed that he had ‘committed suicide’ – with two gunshot wounds in the middle of his back from two different guns... The legal matter now resides with the office of the state attorney, which has 20 court days to respond to the papers. http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Farmers-widow-sues-police-for-R4m-20111017
