Young Free State cattle farmer Evan Sorour, 28, may not have been shot dead — allegedly by his neighbour — last weekend if the local police and magistrate’s court had not returned his assailant’s firearms after a vicious bar brawl.
Sorour’s neighbour, a 37-year-old cattle trader, and his business partner Kleinjan le Grange were already facing assault charges for allegedly attacking another farmer at the bar of the Ficksburg Golf Club on August 6 2021 while patrons were watching a rugby match.
After laying assault charges, the farmer, Morgan Barrett, and his wife Toni applied for a protection order against the cattle trader, who cannot be named as he is yet to appear in court on the murder charge. But the court failed to notify them of the hearing date and the order was withdrawn and the guns returned.
It is now believed that the cattle trader may have used one of those weapons on Sunday evening to allegedly shoot and kill his neighbour, whom he had known since boyhood.
The cattle trader and Le Grange were supposed to appear in court this week on assault charges. Now, the trader faces an additional charge of murder.
Family and friends gathered to support each other this week on Sorour’s farm, Uitkyk.
Sorour's father, Reuter, said though there were “small incidents” between his family and the cattle trader, who lives in a rented house on the adjacent farm, there was “nothing that could possibly be seen as grounds for his behaviour”.
Last Sunday, the Sorour family were enjoying lunch out of town when they were told some of their cattle had broken through a fence and were on the farm where the cattle trader lives.
“I had walked the fence that morning but did not walk that section. If I had only walked that section, my son would still be with us,” said Reuter.
They headed back to their farm after lunch, and father and son decided to round up the cattle on two bikes. While separated and driving the cattle home, they were surprised to see the trader arrive.
“I turned around and he climbed out of his Cruiser and immediately started swearing at me. He said ‘you f**king ...’ and then hit me the first time. He beat the crap out of me, continuously swearing at me, saying things like ‘tonight I am going to f**king kill you',” said Reuter.
The man, he said, reeked of alcohol.
“Eventually I managed to get loose and escape. As I ran he shouted: ‘You can run away, I will kill you even if I have to kill you in your house.’”
Eventually I managed to get loose and escape. As I ran he shouted: ‘You can run away. I will kill you even if I have to kill you in your house’
— Reuter Sorour
He met up with Evan at the bottom of the hill after fleeing “to broken ground where the Cruiser couldn’t drive”. But the trader allegedly caught up with them again, parked his vehicle and “walked aggressively” towards them.
“He was approaching and both of us tried speaking to him, telling him to stop,” said Reuter.
Then shots rang out. The trader fired eight or nine shots at his son, said Sorour, and Evan hit the trader once in the lower body.
“I looked back and Ev was on his knees. I could see he had been hit. He had been hit badly,” the father said.
“He got into his Cruiser and drove away about 50m from where he stopped. There was no signal there. I left my unresponsive son and ran the 200m to where my bike was. I drove to signal and phoned for help.”
Evan died just outside Ficksburg while a local paramedic was trying to revive him. The trader was arrested later when he went to hospital seeking medical attention.
A farmer from nearby Bethlehem told the Sunday Times that three of his cattle were stolen the night before the shooting and he was informed “that the thieves were seen with my cattle heading to the trader’s farm”.
“I was then called and told that the suspects had been arrested and that I could go and fetch them [from the trader’s farm].”
He said he arrived the Sunday afternoon to find a party in full swing.
“There were more than 15 police officers — some in uniform and some stock theft unit members in plain clothes and they were all drunk. One officer told us: ‘There are your cattle, load them and leave,’ which we did,” he said.
Less than two hours later, Evan Sorour was dead.
Police spokesperson warrant officer Mmako Mophiring said on Friday that the “matter was brought to the attention of relevant commanders and is being investigated”.
There were more than 15 police officers – some in uniform and some stock theft unit members in plain clothes and they were all drunk. One officer told us, ‘there are your cattle, load them and leave’
— Bethlehem farmer
He appealed to everyone with knowledge of the “serious” allegations to come forward and make statements.
The trader was still in hospital this week and unable to comment. Le Grange’s phone was off and no-one was at either of his listed addresses this week.
Barrett is still in shock.
He alleged the cattle trader and Le Grange attacked him after the local agricultural union he chaired voted “overwhelmingly” against allowing the two men to join the organisation.
Toni Barrett alleged both men attacked her husband until he was unconscious on the ground. Bystanders rescued him and kept the men away until help arrived.
The men also punched a 14-year-old boy in the head during the attack.
In their affidavits, which the Sunday Times has seen, the trader and Le Grange claim they retaliated after Barrett drew a firearm on them, which Barrett strongly denies. Two other people there that night said Barrett had no firearm on him at the time.
After the Barrett's applied for a protection order against the two, “an interim order was granted with a return date of October 7 and the two men had to hand in their firearms to the police”, she said.
They came to court on the day only to discover the matter had been heard the previous day “and because the complainant was not in court, the order was withdrawn”.
Because of this, their guns were returned to them.
On Wednesday, the Barretts applied for a fresh protection order against the two, which was granted.
Alfred Mralasi, Ficksburg’s judicial head of office, confirmed to the Sunday Times that the clerk was supposed to “notify the applicant of the change in date”.
“We are taking this matter very seriously and it will be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
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