2 Former Neighbourhood Watch Members Convicted After Racial Attack
- A Great Brak River court convicted two former neighbourhood watch members over a racially motivated attack on an interracial couple in Reebok in 2023
- Gideon Wolfaardt was found guilty of four charges, including crimen injuria, after the court ruled his conduct was racially motivated
- Victim Amanda Khumalo said reliving the incident in court was traumatic, but welcomed the verdict as proof the justice system works
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WESTERN CAPE - Two former members of the Midbrak Neighbourhood Watch were convicted on 16 October 2026 after an interracial couple was followed, cornered and searched in Reebok, near Mossel Bay, in the early hours of 2 July 2023.
According to the Mossel Bay Advertiser, the Great Brak River Periodical Court found Gideon Wolfaardt guilty on four counts: two counts of pointing an object likely to make someone believe it was a firearm, assault, and crimen injuria. His co-accused, Sarel Jacobs, was convicted of assault. Both men had been removed from neighbourhood watch duties when the criminal charges were first laid.
It must be noted that the men were members of the Midbrak AfriForum Neighbourhood Watch and not the Midbrak Neighbourhood Watch.
Sentencing is scheduled for 27 November 2026.
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What happened that night in Reebok?
According to testimony before the court, Wolfaardt followed Amanda Khumalo and her then partner from a garage in Fraaiuitsig before calling Jacobs for backup. The two men used their vehicles to box the couple's car in. Wolfaardt then approached the couple with a gas gun, ordering them to place their hands on the dashboard while Jacobs shone a torch into their faces.
The male victim was told to step out of the car and was searched. The couple testified that Wolfaardt used a racist slur directed at Khumalo and asked her partner whether he feared contracting HIV/AIDS because he was with a black woman. Their vehicle was searched, and Khumalo was photographed without her consent. Neither man identified himself as a neighbourhood watch member or wore any branded clothing.
Court rules conduct was racially motivated
Magistrate Retha Pretorius described both victims as credible witnesses and found that minor inconsistencies in their accounts did not weaken their evidence. She found Wolfaardt's and Jacobs' versions to be contradictory. The court concluded that Wolfaardt's racist remarks explained why he had pursued the couple and that there was no lawful justification for following or searching them.
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AfriForum responds to the ruling
AfriForum confirmed that both men were stood down from neighbourhood watch activities once charges were laid. Jacobs remains a member of the organisation but is barred from patrols. Wolfaardt is no longer a member.
AfriForum's chief spokesperson for community safety, Jacques Broodryk, said the convictions were being taken seriously and that the organisation would study the full judgment before deciding on internal disciplinary steps or a possible appeal.
Man pleads guilty to racist attack in Free State
Briefly News also reported that one of the men caught on camera attacking two black teenage boys at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre on Christmas Day has pleaded guilty. Johannes Stephanus van der Westhuizen was sentenced on 22 May and was slapped with a fine of R4 000 or 12 months' imprisonment. Van der Westhuizen was charged alongside Johan Nel, aged 47, and Kobus Klaassen. They faced common assault and crimen injuria charges.
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Source: Briefly News
