By STAFF REPORTER
12 June 2026 – Two accused, Hendrik Louis Pretorius (59) and Lourance Johannes Benjamin Roos (42) briefly appeared before the Swartruggens Magistrate’s Court on 11 June 2026, on charges of murder and house robbery. Pretorius and Roos’s court appearance stems from their arrest on 9 June 2026, in connection with the murder of Johan Christian Scheepers, also known as Riana (52).
The North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Tselanyane said it is alleged that on 25 March 2026, at around 11:20am, the police received a complaint from one of the accused (Pretorius) regarding a murder and house robbery at a residence in Andries Street, adjacent to the N4 road in Swartruggens. Tselanyane said upon arrival at the scene, the police were shown the body of a man lying in a pool of blood with multiple wounds to the upper body.
“All relevant role players were summoned and Scheepers, who was allegedly residing alone, was certified dead at the scene. The police immediately commenced a search for the suspect(s) and followed up on every lead. A few days after the incident, someone allegedly advertised goods resembling those stolen from the deceased’s house on a local business WhatsApp group.
“A contact number and address were not provided in the advertisement. The police were alerted and in May 2026, the same goods were allegedly advertised again using a different contact number and address,” he said.
Tselanyane further said when confronted by the police about the advertisement, Pretorius denied any knowledge of the advertisement on the group. He added that in April 2026, Pretorius again contacted the police and reported a housebreaking and theft at the deceased’s residence.
“With the assistance of National Crime Intelligence and after obtaining a search warrant for Pretorius’s residence, the police recovered a cellphone in which the whereabouts of the alleged murder weapon were discussed. The two suspects were immediately arrested and charged with murder and house robbery.
“Pretorius and Roos were remanded in custody until 17 June 2026, for a formal bail application. Investigation into the matter continues,” he said.
Meanwhile, the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General (Dr) Ryno Naidoo, applauded all those involved in the arrest of the suspects for a job well done. Naidoo reiterated that the police in the province will continue striving to ensure that those who believe they can get away with crime are brought to book.
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