Robert Stoltz in 2024 on his 77th birthday. (Photo: Tiaan Stoltz / Facebook).
Bobo Mokoena Mathibe (26) was sentenced to effectively 19 years in prison for the murder of Robert Petrus Rodrick Stoltz, a farmer from Roossenekal.
Maroela Media previously reported that Stoltz (79) died on 30 April 2025 on his farm Stofkraal, in the area of Hartelus outside Roossenekal in Limpopo, after being brutally assaulted. Stoltz’s daughter found him the next day in the bathroom of his house on the farm. She lived on the farm and her father’s vigilance presumably saved her life.
Col. Malesela Ledwaba, police spokesperson in Limpopo, says the High Court in Polokwane found Mathibe guilty on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
According to Ledwaba, the police at the time responded to a complaint of murder on the farm and found Stoltz severely assaulted in his home. The investigation showed that Stoltz was allegedly attacked outside in the yard with a steel bar. After losing consciousness, he was dragged into the house and placed in the bathroom. His hands were tied behind his back and a cloth was stuffed in his mouth.
He later succumbed to his injuries.
Bobo Mokoena Mathibe (Photo: SAPD Limpopo)
Ledwaba says the attacker ransacked the house and fled with R3 000 in cash, an air rifle and Stoltz’s blue Chery car. The vehicle was later found after an accident near Burgersfort on the R555.
An intensive investigation by, among others, the investigating officer, detectives, members of the rural security unit and informants led to Mathibe’s arrest. A second suspect was also initially arrested, but later released after the investigation could not link him to the crime.
The case was handled by Sgt. Millicent Mogomogane of the Roossenekal detectives investigates.
Mathibe was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment for murder and ten years imprisonment for aggravated robbery. The court ordered that the sentences should be served concurrently, meaning Mathibe will effectively spend 19 years behind bars.
Lt. Gen. Thembi Hadebe, provincial police commissioner in Limpopo, welcomed the sentence and praised the members involved in the investigation for their dedication and teamwork.
Stoltz’s son Marius (46), from Middelburg, said earlier that Moekoena apparently made a detailed confession to a detective. He allegedly told police he killed Stoltz because he was afraid he would be recognized later.