Warning: This post contains graphic content that may upset some readers.
Ben and Liani van der Berg. (Photo: Provided)
A 50-year-old woman is recovering after she was assaulted and beaten repeatedly with an iron pipe in a violent attack on a farm near Coligny on Tuesday afternoon.
Liani van der Berg and her husband, Ben, live on the farm Welgevonden. Like every day, Liani walked to the stables about 500 m from the farmhouse to feed her horses.
Liani was unexpectedly attacked from the side and beaten more than ten times with an iron pipe. The blows were so severe that she almost lost consciousness.
“When the attacker hit me over the head so hard that I fell, I realized there was a big mistake and that I was now going to have to fight hard,” says Liani.
In an attempt to stay alive, she turned on her back and started kicking the attacker with her boots until he finally fled after several kicks.
Despite her injuries, Liani was able to get to the farmhouse and contact her husband. Ben immediately raised the alarm and farmers from the area were soon on the farm to help.
“The wonderful community went out of their way to help us. Without the people we wouldn’t have made it,” says Ben.
Hannes van Jaarsveld, the farm owner, was also quick on the scene and rushed Liani to a hospital in Klerksdorp.
Liani van der Berg after the attack. (Photo: Provided)
‘Police not doing their job’
The Van der Berg couple and Van Jaarsveld are concerned about what they describe as inadequate police action after the incident.
According to Ben, the police officers were indeed on the scene.
“The police were briefly on the farm on Tuesday evening with the dog unit, but not for long because it started to rain,” he says.
Ben says the police have not yet taken Liani’s statement and despite repeated enquiries, there has been no further communication.
Van Jaarsveld says he has been experiencing problems with Coligny’s police for years. “One has to fight to get even just a case number from them,” he says.
“The police just don’t help at all. No one calls, no one tells us what they need from us, there is just absolute silence,” said Ben.
He is also concerned about how the police are handling the case and warns that there is currently almost no evidence that could lead investigators to the attacker.
“Nobody shows up and the fact remains that someone wanted to kill my wife,” says Ben.
“Nobody shows up and the fact remains that someone wanted to kill my wife,” says Ben. (Photo: Provided)
According to him, Liani’s statement is so far the only concrete clue and even this has not yet been officially recorded. “How are they ever going to catch the attacker?” he asked.
The attacker is still at large, leaving Liani terrified.
She is now afraid to be at home at night and lives with the constant uncertainty that the attacker might return.
The police have confirmed that a case of assault with intent to seriously injure has been opened. The police also indicated that Liani’s statement has yet to be taken.
According to the initial version, the victim was apparently attacked by an unknown man with a balaclava on the Putfontein farm.
The police initially indicated that the incident happened on Wednesday 18 April 2026 and that the victim was 74 years old. However, this was later corrected, after the error was pointed out. The police subsequently confirmed that the incident took place on Tuesday and that the victim was 50 years old.
No suspect has yet been arrested and the investigation continues.
No suspect has yet been arrested and the investigation continues. (Photo: Provided)
