A South African couple endured hours of horrific torture when armed men raided their game farm last weekend.
Les Brett, 67, and his 68-year-old wife, Natasha, were attacked at about 7.30pm on Sunday, November 1. Their home is in Broederstroom, in North West province, roughly 60km north of Johannesburg.
The masked intruders allegedly stripped the couple, beat them and poured boiling water over them for at least three hours as they demanded the keys to a safe.
Mr Brett refused to give them up. The attackers then reportedly cut Mrs Brett’s nipples with bolt cutters and repeatedly threatened to rape her.
The assailants also forced the barrel of an AK-47 into Mr Brett’s mouth. He is believed to have suffered injuries that could require surgery.
The ordeal ended only after Mr Brett gave in and handed over the safe keys.
The brutal assault is the latest in a series of farm attacks that have alarmed South Africa and reignited an international political dispute.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly intensified that debate by claiming that white farmers in South Africa are being persecuted.
The attack came just days after farmer Donovan Marx was violently assaulted and had both ears cut off during a raid at his property in Syferfontein, about 57km (35 miles) from Broederstroom, last Wednesday.
Les Brett (pictured) and his wife Natasha endured hours of torture during the raid on their game farm
The attackers allegedly stripped Mrs Brett and cut her nipples with bolt cutters
The three men escaped from the property with seven firearms, ammunition, two mobile phones, a laptop and cash. The couple then raised the alarm.
SRU High Risk Security received the call at approximately 10.30pm and reportedly arrived within four minutes, accompanied by paramedics, according to local newspaper Rekord.
Arthur Crewe of SRU said the couple had been burned with boiling water, badly beaten and stabbed.
‘This attack on our old people is despicable beyond words,’ family friend Warren Geddes wrote on Facebook.
Mr Geddes criticised the police response, claiming officers were treating the case as a house robbery despite the couple allegedly being tortured for several hours.
He further claimed that residents recognised the suspects from other attacks and accused police of failing to intervene. No arrests have been announced.
SRU warned that the stolen firearms could be used in additional crimes.
Residents were advised to stay indoors if they saw suspicious activity or heard unusual noises, and to lock their doors and windows while security teams continued their investigation.
Three men are suspected of carrying out the raid in Broederstroom, North West province
Mr Brett previously served with the Special Forces and Police Service
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Mr Brett is a former member of the Special Forces and Police Service. He has trained British armed forces personnel, HM Customs and Excise enforcement officers, and US Special Forces in bushcraft, tracking and field survival.
More than 20 years ago, he founded Dung Beetle Bush School, an organisation focused on combating poaching and supporting wildlife conservation.
A Hartbeespoortdam police spokesman said: ‘Hartbeespoortdam police are investigating a case of house robbery following an incident at a residence in Broederstroom, where three unknown suspects allegedly robbed a couple, aged 66 and 58, of firearms, electronic equipment and other valuables.
‘According to information, the suspects, described as three unidentified African males wearing face masks, allegedly entered the house through an unlocked wooden sliding door on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
‘The suspects reportedly demanded money, claiming they knew that one of the occupants operated a kiosk at a nearby resort.
‘The suspects later gained access to a safe and stole seven firearms of different calibres, along with ammunition. All the firearms were reportedly licensed in the male victim’s name.
‘It is further alleged that the male victim runs an anti-poaching school.
‘The suspects also allegedly took two mobile phones, a laptop, cash and other personal belongings before fleeing the scene.
‘During the incident, the male victim sustained minor injuries. He reportedly sought medical treatment after being threatened and allegedly having hot water poured over him in an attempt to obtain information.’
The incident followed two other violent farm attacks in South Africa within less than a week.
Donovan Marx was attacked at his home in Syferfontein, near Ventersdorp in North West province, last Wednesday after three armed men wearing balaclavas confronted a farmworker.
The men allegedly approached the worker while he was cutting the lawn and demanded to know the location of the property’s owner before binding his hands and feet with cable ties.
When 50-year-old Mr Marx arrived in his red Isuzu pick-up truck, two of the suspects reportedly approached him and shot him in the upper body.
He was dragged inside the house, restrained and repeatedly stabbed and beaten. The attackers then allegedly cut off both of his ears.
The gang searched the property, removed three firearms from a safe and escaped in Mr Marx’s vehicle.
The farmworker managed to break free and raise the alarm, while Mr Marx was taken to Mediclinic Potchefstroom in serious condition.
He underwent emergency surgery. His family later said surgeons had removed part of his large intestine but were unable to save his ears.
Police arrested two suspects in the Ventersdorp area on Saturday and detained three more in Promosa, near Potchefstroom, on Sunday, November 1.
In a separate incident, a homeowner in Hammanskraal was beaten and forced to open his safe during a break-in at a property in Vasfontein in the early hours of last Tuesday.
Police spokesman Captain Johan van Dyk said three men entered the house, fired a shot and struck the homeowner on the forehead before escaping with cash and household goods.
READ MORE: Five men arrested after white farmer has both ears cut off during horrific torture in South African farm robbery