The body of 85-year-old Oudtshoorn ostrich farmer Saag Jonker has been recovered from the Olifants River after his vehicle was located by search teams on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
Jonker, whose full name is Sagaria Jonker, went missing on Sunday, 27 September 2026. He had completed his usual rounds and inspections on farms in the area that morning and was returning to his home in Oudtshoorn. At approximately 12:50 to 13:00, he attempted to cross a low-water bridge over the Olifants River in the Rooiheuwel area, about three kilometres outside Oudtshoorn. Floodwaters swept his brown Toyota Land Cruiser away. Two eyewitnesses saw the vehicle being carried by the current. Jonker was pulled under the water and was not seen again.
The Olifants River was in full flood at the time due to heavy rainfall in the catchment area south of Beaufort West.
An extensive search operation began shortly after the incident. It involved police divers, drones, an Air Mercy Service helicopter, local farmers, volunteers, community members, and later trained K9 search-and-rescue teams, members of the Oudtshoorn police, and the Oudtshoorn fire brigade using a boat and fish finder. Search efforts were initially hampered by the strong current and high water levels, which made diving operations too dangerous. Teams waited for conditions to improve before resuming underwater searches.
On Tuesday afternoon, police divers located the Land Cruiser in the river approximately 300 metres from the low-water bridge, in the section between the bridge and the area where search teams had earlier begun operations. Jonker’s body was found inside the vehicle. The body was recovered around 15:00. Family members, including his sons Hein Jonker and Morné Jonker, confirmed the identification. Detectives and forensic specialists were expected to attend the recovery scene. A judicial inquest has been opened, and a post-mortem examination is scheduled later in the week to determine the cause of death. Access to the scene was restricted, with media and members of the public asked to leave so that only search teams and family could remain.
Jonker was a prominent figure in South Africa’s ostrich industry. Since 1976 he had led the Saag Jonker Group, based in Oudtshoorn, which developed into a large privately owned integrated operation covering ostrich farming, processing and marketing. He was named South Africa’s Farmer of the Year in 2000. He was also known locally as a rugby player for the Oudtshoorn club and had taken part in the final Springbok trials in 1967. Despite his age, he remained actively involved in the farming operations.
The recovery concluded a multi-day search that had drawn significant local participation amid challenging river conditions.
E-hailing driver shot and left critical after armed robbery on Fernham Drive near Bhambayi
An e-hailing driver was shot and left in a critical condition during an armed robbery on Fernham Drive, near Bhambayi in Phoenix, north of Durban.
The driver had been requested to collect passengers near Alverstone. On arrival in the area he was confronted by four male suspects. He was shot during the robbery. The suspects then fled on foot towards Bhambayi.
The same suspects are believed to have possibly been involved in an earlier armed robbery of an Uber Eats delivery rider in the area. That possible connection had not been officially confirmed.
KZN VIP Security, the South African Police Service and KZN VIP Medical and Rescue responded to the scene. Medical personnel stabilised the driver on site before he was transported urgently to a medical facility for further treatment.
Emergency services remained in attendance after the injured driver was removed. SAPS is investigating the circumstances of the robbery and shooting.
Fernham Drive runs through the Phoenix and Inanda area and borders the Bhambayi settlement. Alverstone is in the same northern eThekwini corridor. At the time the incident was first reported, police had not publicly released the driver’s name, age, the platform he was working for, the exact time of the attack, whether property was taken from the vehicle, or the type of firearm used.
No arrests had been confirmed. The driver’s condition after arrival at hospital had not been independently updated.
Anyone with information about the shooting on Fernham Drive, or about the earlier reported robbery of a delivery rider in the same area, should report it to SAPS.
Two Dunoon Shopkeepers Shot Dead at Separate Stores as CCTV Shows Gunmen Firing Through Counter
Two shopkeepers were shot dead at separate business premises in Dunoon, Cape Town, on Saturday, 26 September 2026.
The victims were men aged 51 and 56. They were killed at shops in Orchard Street and Thandabantu Street. They are understood to have been foreign nationals. Police have not released their names.
Western Cape police confirmed that Milnerton SAPS is investigating two murder cases. Police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala said the two men were shot and fatally wounded at their respective business premises. He said the circumstances surrounding the shootings are under investigation. No arrest has been made.
CCTV footage circulating on Monday shows people inside a small Dunoon shop dropping behind a counter as gunfire is directed at the counter. In the recording, a first gunman puts a firearm through the money slot in the counter and fires several rounds. A second gunman then fires. A third gunman follows. The three then run off. Posts sharing the video describe the attackers as extortionists targeting shopkeepers.
Police have not publicly confirmed that the circulating clip is footage of either of the two fatal shootings. They have not given an official date or time for that specific recording. No further injuries have been separately confirmed beyond the two deaths already reported at the two business premises.
Dunoon lies on the northern outskirts of Cape Town, near Killarney Gardens and Table View. Small shops in the area have been repeatedly linked to alleged protection-fee demands. Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Sizakhele Dyantyi said 109 extortion cases were reported in the province between April and June 2026. Of those, 52 involved protection-racket extortion. Spaza shops and tuck shops were the most frequently targeted premises in that period, accounting for 13 reported cases.
On 20 June 2026, Dunoon community activist and Democratic Alliance Ward 104 candidate Sinovuyo Dyokwe, 48, was shot dead in Mnandi Street while walking home from a voter-registration venue. Police said a gunman approached her on foot and opened fire. Preliminary police information later indicated that she had allegedly been subjected to extortion and forced to pay protection money, and that she was threatened after refusing to continue payments. Serious Violent Crime detectives arrested a 37-year-old man in Dunoon on 24 July 2026. Police alleged he was the mastermind behind her murder and linked him to extortion charges.
No suspects have been identified in the 26 September shopkeeper murders. Police have not released a description of the gunmen, the type of firearms used, or whether the two scenes are being treated as linked.
Anyone with information can contact police on 08600 10111 or through the MySAPS app.
