MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – A massive manhunt was launched Wednesday morning for the killers of prominent business owners, Clint (35) and his wife Michelle (37) Hayward from the Mountain View Hotel.

Although details of the brutal double murder remained sketchy at the time of going to press, it is alleged that Mr Hayward and his wife were shot and killed by a group of attackers in the bedroom of their house adjacent to the hotel. It is said they died of single gunshot wounds to the head while they were asleep.

It is believed that the attackers gained access to their home through the only window in the house that did not have any burglar-proofing. The time of the attack is also not yet known, but it is believed that they were murdered during the night after closing for business. The alarm at the hotel’s reception office was triggered by the attackers at around 01:00 when they removed a window to gain entry. No one knows why nobody followed up why the alarm was triggered. The Haywards’ bodies were found by their 12-year-old daughter, Tamryn, at around 07:00 on Wednesday, when she wanted to find out why her dad hadn’t come to wake her and her 7-year-old brother, Matt.

Police at the scene suspect the motive for the killings to be robbery. A 9mm-pistol and a .38-revolwer were taken. A bag, belonging to Mr Hayward, was also found some distance from the hotel, containing clothes. The attackers apparently fled on foot and it is believed that they are the same group of armed attackers responsible for several violent attacks on members of the community over the last two weeks in the Hanglip area.

Friends and family members at the scene were completely dumfounded by the murders. Again, the police’s apparent inability to catch and bring the perpetrators to book was highlighted. Some people even went as far as to state that they have no confidence left in the police and that the time for talking is over. The Soutpansberg Chamber of Commerce even went as far as appointing a private security firm to investigate the case.

A special bank account was also set up by the chamber, immediately following the news of the murders, to help fund and pay for private investigators to solve the growing number of violent crimes and murders in the area. Community members are urged to support the fund, known as the Soutpansberg Chamber of Commerce Community Fund, to ensure that cases such as these receive the necessary attention and are actually solved. The account is held at Standard Bank Louis Trichardt (account number 330162039) and will be administered by the Chamber of Commerce. The chairperson of the Chamber, Mrs Jana Smith, said the fund will be available for the whole community.

Over the last month, the lives of residents of the Soutpansberg area have literally been in jeopardy from gangs of ruthless thugs. It saw the murder of several community members, including a well-known police inspector as well as a prominent member of the farming community. The murder of the Hayward couple brought the number of violent killings to five in one month. This does not include the number of farm attacks and brutal assaults on farmers and farm labourers, two cash-in-transit robberies and several cases of attempted murder.

Two weeks ago, following numerous complaints that the local police are not doing enough to combat the spate of violent crimes, the police’s provincial office in Polokwane intervened, stating that they are investigating complaints regarding service delivery at the local police station at the highest level. They also deployed some 80 additional provincial police members to help with crime prevention over a period of one week. Despite this, the spate of violent crimes has continued. Many people say that the deployment of the additional police members was nothing more than a desperate attempt by the police to try and defuse a highly volatile situation, which accomplished nothing in the end. More definite action is demanded.

“It is no longer a question of when they will strike next, but rather a question of who will be next,” one resident remarked, following the Haywards’ killing. It is evident that residents fear the situation will get much worse before it gets better. An open vote of “no confidence” in the police is also not helping an already desperate situation.

In the meantime, a special meeting between the police and the community is scheduled for Thursday, October 21 (today) at 14:00 at the show hall to address the crime situation. Everyone is invited to attend.

As far as funeral arrangements are concerned, a date had still to be finalised by Wednesday afternoon. Mr Hayward’s father, however, requested that no flowers or cards be sent to the family and that people should rather make donations towards Round Table Zoutpansberg 66, an organisation of which his son was an extremely active member. Mrs Hayward was also a very active member of Ladies Circle 4.