When six guys assaulted their farm at midnight, former South African rugby player Lukas van Biljon was stabbed repeatedly in the chest and his father was shot three times and left for dead.
Van Biljon, a 47-year-old Springbok hooker, was informed that if he fought back, his children, who were tied up, would be killed while the gang plundered his property. The controversial player was stabbed numerous times as a “strong warning to behave” after being sacked from the Boks after 13 caps in 2003.
Dad Andre, 70, tried to make a frantic radio call for aid to fellow farmers but was seen and shot three times in the chest and hand. He is in serious condition in the hospital.
Captain Loraine Earle of the South African Police said two of the assailants were apprehended after nearby farmers were warned and put in place an action plan to block all roadways.
“Just after midnight on Saturday, police were called to a robbery at the Van Biljon family’s smallholding in Oranjeville, where two men were injured,” she added.
“It is alleged six armed men entered the house and tied the children with cable ties and a 47-year-old man was stabbed and his 70-year-old father shot during the robbery”.
“Lukas is a big strong boy, but he couldn’t do anything because it was made clear his children would be shot if he put up a fight,” a farmer who knows the Van Biljon family well stated.
“He was still stabbed several times but it is father Andre who is the worry as he is in intensive care in a very bad way from gunshots.”
