Rudi Gericke and Klein Jan le Grange both need to be at the Ficksburg court at 08:30 on Thursday 20 April 2023. 

Rudi needs to be there for his bail application in Evan Sorour's murder case and for the Ficksburg Golf Club case. Klein Jan needs to be there for the Ficksburg Golf Club case.

If you would like to support us in opposing Rudi's bail application, please meet outside the Ficksburg Court (near Ficksburg Police Station in McCabe Street) at 08:30am on Thursday 20 April 2023.

Obviously no firearms, weapons, alcohol, violence, damage to property, etc allowed.

Subject: Article from Netwerk24 on 13th April (translated)

 

Gericke in court due to shooting death of Ficksburg farmer
13th April 2023
Alet van der Walt

 

A pale and obviously unhealthy Rudi Gericke (38), accused of murder in the case of the shooting death of the young farmer from Ficksburg Evan Sorour (28), appeared in court here on Tuesday.

Gericke only stood in the dock for a short time before magistrate Ingrid Matroos gave him permission to sit in a wheelchair.

His wife, Jana, and other family supported him at court.

There were a large number of police officers at the court.

Gericke has already undergone seven operations and lost a lot of weight since he and Sorour reportedly shot each other on January 8.

On this Sunday, Sorour and his father, Reuter, went to drive some of their cattle from a camp on a farm where Gericke rents the house.

Gericke apparently chased the father and son into the field and threatened them, to between ridges where the fatal shooting took place.

Sorour died shortly after the shooting just outside Ficksburg, while Gericke was under police guard for weeks in the Hoogland Mediclinic in Bethlehem's guard unit.

He had to undergo numerous operations here due to a gunshot wound in his hip and abdomen.

He was transferred from the private hospital to the prison in Kroonstad, but in the meantime was admitted again for a time in Ficksburg's provincial hospital. He is currently being held in the medical section of the prison in Kroonstad.

Gericke first appeared in connection with the murder before he and his friend and partner Klein Jan le Grange (35) also appeared in the same court in connection with a fight at Ficksburg's golf club.

The two men are accused of assaulting and seriously injuring Morgan Barrett and other people at the golf club in August last year.

Both hearings were adjourned until April 20.

Gericke will then apply for bail in the murder trial.

The community of Ficksburg and other supporters of the Sorour family have already submitted a voluminous petition against bail for Gericke to the court as well as the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) offices in Bloemfontein and Pretoria.

Gericke and Le Grange's hearing about the assault will be transferred to the regional court in Ficksburg on April 20.

The two men and the farming community of Ficksburg have been embroiled in a conflict for a long time. Gericke and Le Grange are cattle speculators. Farmers in the area say they don't like the way the men do business. The local farmers' association did not want to admit them as members a few years ago and the relationship then soured even further.

Photo caption: Rudi Gericke, far left, and Klein Jan le Grange, next to him, at the golf club where people were assaulted. Martin Labuschagne, second from left, and Theo Louw, took part in the golf day with the men but were not involved in the fight. Photo: Provided