Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

An Mpumalanga farmer shot and killed two would-be robbers on Thursday morning, after finding them hiding in his apartment at Boschmanfontein farm near Balfour.

Police said the farmer, who does not stay on the farm, claimed he had gone to check on the farm when he discovered that something was wrong.

"The farmer told us that the garage roof at his farm seemed to have been tampered with and that when he opened the door two men attacked him," said Mpumalanga police spokesman Superintendent Abie Khoabane on Sunday.

He said one of the suspects was armed with an iron bar during the attack and that the farmer had fired several shots, killing them on the spot.

The farmer then called the police, who confiscated his firearm for further investigation.

Police had not yet identified the two dead men by Sunday afternoon.