This is Gerhard Venter, South African farmer and dear friend, just discharged from the hospital after an extremely violent attack on him and his wife, Anneke. Gerhard is recovering from an open skull wound, multiple facial fractures, a ripped ear, several broken ribs, bruised heart and lungs and multiple muscle injuries resulted from severe beatings all over his body. 

We are Natie van Rooyen and Suzanne Rhebergen and are here today to help our friends. We grew up together in Pretoria, South Africa. 



Don't we all live our lives trying to be happy and content? But sometimes hardship strikes. On Thursday the 1st of July 2021 Gerhard and Anneke were brutally assaulted on their farm in South Africa just outside Bapsfontein, Gauteng. 

Gerhard was attacked with a panga and grass slasher and left for dead while Anneke was beaten with a fire beater on her back and sexually assaulted. After ransacking the house, Anneke was kidnapped and taken to a local town where they forced her to withdraw money. They offloaded all the stolen goods and several sheep they had stolen from another farm. While away Gerhard was able to untie himself and escape. Given his severe blood loss and physical state it was a miracle he was able to crawl to one of his employees living 600 meters down the road. They immediately called for help. When the assaulters returned to finish what they started, they realized help had arrived and fled on foot, leaving Anneke behind in the stolen car. 

The full story was reported here.



Were it not for this tightly knit farmers community that stood up as one that dreary night to help and protect their neighbours, our friends, Gerhard and Anneke would not have been alive today. 

We would like to ask your help today, to collect 15000 Euro. The money will be used as follow:

1.       Firstly, 5000 Euro will be used to help them back on their feet.

2.       The next 10000 Euro will be earmarked for starting a project deploying the right technology to help them as a community to be safe. This will be done together with AfriForum.

We all LOVE South Africa and though some of us live abroad, we still want to keep it a safe and wonderful country to live in and visit. To help get the word out, would you please share the link on your Facebook Timeline?

While considering this please enjoy some of the photographs Anneke made of this beautiful farm (my personal favourite is the second photograph :).