- The girlfriend of a Hennenman farmer who was severely injured in a farm attack has asked people to pray for his recovery.
- Eddie Hills, 26, was stabbed and is in hospital in a critical condition.
- One of the suspects arrested reportedly worked for the Hills family for decades.
The girlfriend of 26-year-old Eddie Hills, who is in a critical condition after being stabbed in an attack on a farm in Hennenman on Thursday, has taken to social media to make an impassioned plea for people to pray for his recovery.
Marizanè du Plessis wrote: "I don't usually post, but today is bitterly important... All I ask from the depths of my heart, please pray and pray as much as possible for his safety. His family and I will appreciate it incredibly."
Eddie's 56-year-old father Pieter Hills was shot dead in the attack on the family's farm Zwartpan near Hennenman in the Free State.
According to Free State police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, Anna Bochedi, a domestic worker who works on the farm, found the two men at around 05:00 on Friday after she was called by Hills' wife, Antoinette, who was concerned after trying in vain to get hold of her husband and son.
Bochedi alerted relatives after she found Hills' body, as well as Eddie, who had been stabbed.
Free State police have arrested four people in connection with the attack. One of the suspects, aged 47, was found hanging in his cell in the early hours of Saturday morning.
According to his mother, Eddie's condition had not improved by Sunday afternoon, Netwerk24 reported.
He was reportedly transferred from Welkom to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg on Friday and operated on. He is being sedated. According to Netwerk24, some of his neck vertebrae have been injured and it is uncertain how much permanent damage there will be.
A source told Netwerk24 that one of the suspects had been working for the Hills family for decades. The person reportedly distracted the dogs so that the other suspects could gain access to the property.
The remaining suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday or Tuesday.
- Compiled by Riaan Grobler
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