GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nathan Daniel Cooper, 39, of Strasburg, Ohio, was arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged sexual battery of a 16-year-old girl in Gainesville during the summer.
According to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office detective, the girl was initially reluctant to take part in a forensic interview. Investigators later obtained a photograph of the man accused of sexually battering her, as well as information indicating that she had met him at a billiards bar in Alachua while out with her sister. Witnesses reportedly said Cooper was told the girl was 16 and spent considerable time speaking with her.
The detective determined that Cooper worked for an Ohio-based company and was staying at an Alachua motel around the time of the alleged incident.
The victim reportedly told investigators that she met a man named “Nathan” at a “pool hall or bar,” matching her sister’s description of the Alachua billiards bar. She gave him her phone number, and he contacted her several weeks later to ask whether she wanted to spend time together. The girl said he asked her for nude photographs and asked whether he could send her nude photos. She declined both requests.
She said she agreed to let the man pick her up and described his vehicle as a red, four-door work truck with three seats across the front. According to her account, he stopped at a gas station resembling the Oaks Mall Chevron, bought her a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and drove around with her. She said he became “touchy-feely” before allegedly sexually battering her in the parking lot of the abandoned Toys ‘R’ Us. She told investigators that he later took her to a walking trail and then drove her home.
The victim said her sister told “Nathan” several times that she was 16, but he did not appear concerned. She also said he told her he had an ex-wife and two children. When she asked how he would react if his own children were involved in a similar situation, he reportedly said he would pat his son on the back and “kill the motherf*****” who did something like that to his daughter.
A witness reportedly gave investigators the man’s name, the company where he worked and the license plate number of his truck. The witness said the vehicle had been parked at an Alachua motel. The tag was registered to an Ohio company, and the detective used Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras to confirm that the truck had been in the area and matched the victim’s description.
The detective located Cooper at an Alachua gas station on October 29 and detained him. After being read his Miranda rights, Cooper reportedly acknowledged visiting a billiards bar across from his hotel earlier in the year and meeting the victim and her sister. He said he had been told the girl was 16. Cooper also spontaneously stated that he had never touched her, even though the detective had not yet raised that allegation.
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Cooper initially denied communicating with or meeting the victim and her sister anywhere outside the bar. He later acknowledged communicating with the girls and taking two girls to a job site after dropping off the victim. He continued to deny communicating with or otherwise interacting with the victim after the night at the bar.
The detective told Cooper that ALPR footage can sometimes show a vehicle’s driver and passengers and asked whether the system might show the victim in his truck. Cooper reportedly then said he had forgotten about meeting her. He acknowledged picking her up, taking her to a gas station and buying her an alcoholic drink before driving to an abandoned parking lot behind Oaks Mall. Cooper said he did not know her age until he asked why she could not purchase her own beer and she told him she was 16. He reportedly admitted he knew it was “not right” to be with her and became nervous when a mall security guard made a round.
Cooper continued denying that he had sexual contact with the girl. He said he intended to take her home after learning she was 16, but instead drove her to a park, where they walked along a trail.
The detective said Cooper asked to call his wife when he was first detained. During questioning about his family, Cooper reportedly acknowledged lying to the victim about being divorced because he wanted attention. When asked how he would respond if someone did something similar to his children, Cooper reportedly said he would congratulate his son and beat up anyone who harmed his daughter. The detective noted that the response closely resembled the victim’s account of Cooper’s answer to the same question.
The detective said Cooper made several false statements during the interview, including claims that he never interacted with the girls outside the bar, did not know the victim’s age, had never been alone with her and had never communicated with her. Cooper reportedly acknowledged, “I lied about a few details,” but continued to deny engaging in any sexual activity.
Cooper is charged with sexual battery involving a 16-year-old victim. His criminal history was unavailable because records involving sexual offenses are not posted. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail while the State Attorney’s Office seeks to keep him in custody without bail through trial. If the judge rejects that request, bail will be set during the hearing.
Heroic Puppy Who Survived Death Nominated for Bravery Award
A puppy who survived being abandoned on a rubbish tip could soon receive a bravery award after protecting his owner’s life during a frightening street confrontation.
Mouse, a white lurcher, was only six weeks old when he was found critically ill after swallowing plastic netting.
Vets feared the tiny dog would not survive and had made arrangements for him to be put down. But Mouse defied the odds and continued to fight.
He eventually made a remarkable recovery under the care of his owner, former veterinary nurse Tracey Ison.
Mouse is now in contention for a bravery award after stepping in when a violent stranger began randomly threatening and shoving Ms Ison’s husband during a walk.
Although the lurcher had remained fearful of unfamiliar people since his rescue, he placed himself between the man and his owners, barking relentlessly until the aggressor finally retreated.
The man then threatened to come back carrying a baseball bat, forcing the family to leave the area.
Ms Ison, 56, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, said: ‘Mouse was frightened too. He has always been nervous around strangers, and the man’s behaviour terrified him.
Mouse is in the running for a bravery award after protecting his owner, Tracey Ison
He survived against the odds after swallowing plastic netting, despite vets believing he might have to be put down
Mouse, pictured as a puppy, was found with his sisters on a rubbish tip when he was just six weeks old
‘But instead of running away, our skinny, clumsy young puppy positioned himself between us and the stranger. Mouse kept barking until the man eventually backed off.
‘What has stayed with me is that Mouse wasn’t fearless that day. He was frightened. Yet he still stood in front of us.’
Mouse has been shortlisted for a Burns Bravery Award, presented at a lavish ceremony hosted by Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Hauer and launched by healthy dog food company Burns Pet Nutrition.
The event will bring courageous dogs and their owners from across the country to Woolwich Works in London on Tuesday, November 3.
Mouse’s courage, however, is not the only profound impact he has had on Ms Ison’s life.
She says he helped her through a devastating mental health crisis after she left behind a 25-year career as a veterinary nurse and struggled to rebuild her life.
Mouse’s extraordinary journey began in May 2019, when he and his sisters, Demi and Twiggy, were found abandoned on a rubbish dump at Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire.
The three puppies were thought to be about six weeks old and were all in desperately poor health.
Mouse made a remarkable recovery after being cared for by Ms Ison, a former veterinary nurse
Mouse can now walk most dogs without reacting and has even made a handful of canine friends
He confronted a violent thug who randomly threatened and began shoving Ms Ison’s husband when the couple went out for a walk
However Mouse cheated death after he recovered from swallowing the plastic netting.
The woman who initially found the puppies took them home, but Mouse was kept separately in a cat carrier where he spent a prolonged period lying in his own waste.
Eventually, the trio were handed over to East Midlands Dog Rescue in Enderby, Leicestershire, where Mouse’s condition sparked immediate concern.
He was rushed to the vets, where blood tests, X-rays and exploratory surgery revealed he had swallowed orange plastic netting.
Surgeons removed the obstruction but the desperately ill puppy failed to improve.
He refused to eat or drink and became so weak he needed intravenous fluids to keep him alive.
Vets considered fitting a feeding tube but feared he was too frail to survive the procedure.
With little hope left, Mouse was returned to the rescue centre so he could spend what were expected to be his final days somewhere safe and loved.
Ms Ison recalled: ‘I will never forget something Sandy, the founder of East Midlands Dog Rescue, said during those days.
‘If this was going to be Mouse’s last day on earth, she wanted him to feel the sun on his back.’
Several appointments were arranged for Mouse to be put to sleep, but each time his rescuers hesitated.
Ms Ison said: ‘There was something in his eyes that seemed to say he hadn’t finished fighting.’
It was around this time that Ms Ison, who had recently quit her career after suffering severe burnout, began volunteering at the rescue centre.
She had worked as a veterinary nurse for around 25 years, but years of workplace stress, bullying and compassion fatigue had taken a devastating toll on her mental health.
Eventually, she reached breaking point and walked away from the profession she loved.
Ms Ison said: ‘It wasn’t simply my job; caring for animals had been an enormous part of my identity.
Mouse has been shortlisted for a Burns Bravery Award at a glitzy bash hosted by Strictly Come Dancing icon Karen Hauer and launched by healthy dog food firm Burns Pet Nutrition
Ms Ison began volunteering at East Midlands Dog Rescue, where she had worked closely with staff for many years and then met Mouse
She started cleaning kennels, looking after the animals and rediscovering the simple pleasure of caring for dogs who asked nothing of her other than kindness
‘But after changes at the veterinary practice where I had spent much of my career, the working environment became incredibly stressful.
‘Combined with bullying and years of compassion fatigue, I became completely burnt out.
‘Eventually, I reached the point where I simply couldn’t carry on. I walked away. It broke my heart.
‘I had spent decades nursing animals, yet by the time I left I had lost almost all confidence in my own abilities.
‘I found myself in a very dark place, wondering what was left of the person I had once been.’
Hoping to rebuild her confidence, Ms Ison began volunteering at East Midlands Dog Rescue, where she had worked closely with staff for many years.
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She started cleaning kennels, looking after the animals and rediscovering the simple pleasure of caring for dogs who asked nothing of her other than kindness.
Then she met Mouse. Ms Ison said: ‘There was something about this tiny, desperately frail puppy that touched my heart.
‘He had already had the investigations and the surgery. There was very little more medicine could do for him at that stage.
‘What Mouse needed was nursing. And nursing was something I knew how to do.’
Ms Ison began helping administer his medication and spent hours sitting beside him, willing him to survive. But day after day, the tiny puppy continued refusing food and water.
Then, after around eight days without eating or drinking voluntarily, something extraordinary happened. Mouse lowered his head and took a few tiny laps of water.
Ms Ison said: ‘It sounds like such a small thing. To us, it was enormous.
‘Those few laps of water were the first moment I truly allowed myself to believe that Mouse might survive.’
As his condition slowly improved, Ms Ison and her husband took Mouse home to foster him.
He needed regular feeding, medication, physiotherapy and months of painstaking rehabilitation to rebuild his wasted muscles.
Although he remains wary of strangers, Mouse has made enormous progress with his behavioural difficulties
The couple officially adopted Mouse on July 26, 2019 but his two sisters, Demi and Twiggy, passed away
Ms Ison and her husband spent years patiently helping Mouse overcome his fears until the day he saved their lives
But while Mouse was slowly recovering, Tracey noticed something remarkable happening to her too.
She said: ‘I was using my nursing skills again. Skills I had spent years believing in, then somehow became convinced I had lost.
‘Every medication I gave him, every gentle physio session and every tiny bit of progress reminded me that I could still do this.
‘I could still nurse. I could still care for an animal who needed me. Mouse was getting stronger – and so was I.’
The couple officially adopted Mouse on July 26, 2019 but his two sisters, Demi and Twiggy, passed away.
Mouse had initially been considered the sickest of the three puppies, and rescuers had hoped that if he could pull through, his sisters would too.
Although Mouse eventually regained his physical strength, his traumatic start in life had left deep psychological scars.
He became fiercely protective of his food and resting places, reacted aggressively towards other dogs and was terrified of strangers.
Ms Ison and her husband spent years patiently helping him overcome his fears but it was during a walk around their local area, when Mouse was aged between six and nine months, that the family discovered just how brave their rescue puppy could be.
Tracey and her husband were walking Mouse alongside their other rescue dogs, Sparky and Scout, who is blind, when they were confronted by an angry stranger.
The man, who was walking a small dog, began shouting abuse at the couple for reasons they couldn’t understand.
He then approached them and started pushing Ms Ison’s husband. Scout became frightened and started barking, while Mouse was visibly terrified.
But instead of running away, the young lurcher planted himself between his owners and the stranger.
Despite his fear, Mouse barked repeatedly until the man eventually backed off. The stranger then threatened to return with a baseball bat, prompting the family to flee.
Ms Ison said: ‘The man then bizarrely told us to stay where we were while he went home to get a baseball bat. Needless to say, we didn’t wait.
‘To me, that is what courage really is. It isn’t the absence of fear. Sometimes it is being frightened and choosing to stand your ground for someone you love anyway.’
Seven years after he was found abandoned and close to death, Mouse is now enjoying a happy life with the family who refused to give up on him.
Although he remains wary of strangers, he has made enormous progress with his behavioural difficulties.
He can now walk past most dogs without reacting and has even made a handful of canine friends.
And, while he still takes time to trust unfamiliar people, those who earn his affection are rewarded with a fiercely loyal companion.
Ms Ison said: ‘Life with Mouse has never been easy. We knew from the beginning that it probably wouldn’t be.
‘But we also made a promise to him: whatever happened, Mouse would always be safe with us.’
These days, Mouse loves going for walks, watching squirrels through the window and snoozing in his favourite bed in the sunshine.
Ms Ison said: ‘Mouse is sweet, loving and an absolute goofball. Sometimes I look at him and think about that tiny puppy who wasn’t expected to make it.
‘I think about the days when he couldn’t eat or drink. I think about Sandy wanting him to feel the sun on his back because nobody knew whether it might be his last day.
‘And then I look at him now. Seven years of sunshine. Seven years of walks, squirrel watching, friendships, mischief and love that we very nearly didn’t get to have.’
Mouse is now among the entrants in the Burns Bravery Awards, which recognise the extraordinary courage of Britain’s dogs.
And for Ms Ison, who credits the little lurcher with helping her rebuild her life, there could be no more deserving winner.
She said: ‘People might say that we rescued Mouse, but that has never felt like the whole story to me.
‘When I met him, I had lost my confidence, my career and a huge part of my sense of who I was.
‘Mouse needed someone to believe he could recover, and I needed something that reminded me I still had something valuable to give.
‘We found each other when we were both struggling. I helped Mouse learn how to become strong again.
‘And somewhere along the way, he did exactly the same for me. Our Mouse is a survivor, a fighter and, to us, a hero. In finding his courage, Mouse gave me mine.’
Sydney Cafe Owner Warns Small Businesses Are ‘On Their Knees
A Sydney cafe owner selling one of the cheapest coffees in the city’s eastern suburbs—$4.50 for a small flat white or latte—says the prospect of increasing prices has left him lying awake at night.
Dave Martin, who has run The Courtyard in Coogee for 15 years, said he is absorbing an extra $1,000 per week in costs on the likes of insurance premiums, wages, electricity, gas and supplier prices, as well as the recent card surcharge ban.
Dave employs 14 people and says small businesses like his are “on their knees,” forced to choose between passing mounting costs on to customers already battling financial pressure or accepting ever-smaller profits.
“You’d think after being here for 15 years, I’m well entrenched in the community, it’d be easier for me, but it’s not. It’s just getting harder and harder,” he told the Daily Mail.
The cafe operator said suppliers were now sending notices of price increases almost weekly or fortnightly, making it impossible to update his menu quickly enough to keep pace with rising costs.
“If I put my prices up every time I got an email, then there’d be no one coming through my door,” he said.
The challenge has been compounded by Australia’s cost-of-living crisis, with Dave acutely aware that his customers are under financial strain too.
As his operating expenses climb, he said more diners are being forced to limit how much they spend on meals and coffee when they eat out.
Dave Martin, owner of The Courtyard in Coogee, said soaring insurance premiums, wages, electricity, gas and supplier charges had made running a cafe increasingly challenging
“To try and charge people who are also doing it tough, in accordance with the money that you should be making, it’s impossible,” Dave said.
Instead of immediately passing each new increase on to customers, he has been absorbing about $1,000 in extra costs every week.
If that continues, he estimates the hit could reach approximately $50,000 over 12 months.
“I’m going to have to put my prices up eventually. I lay awake at night worried because I don’t want to lose customers.”
Coffee presents an especially difficult dilemma because cafes in the area are competing fiercely for customers. Dave estimates that 23 coffee shops operate within one kilometre of his business.
He has slowly increased food prices, occasionally adding $1 to menu items every six months, but has been far more hesitant to raise the cost of drinks.
“We basically just wear it. Our profit margins just get smaller and smaller,” he said.
The businessman employs 14 people and operates a busy cafe in one of Sydney’s best-known beachside suburbs, yet says even long-established businesses are struggling to keep up
The squeeze has also changed what he serves. Dave said customers who once routinely ordered generous breakfasts and larger lunch meals were increasingly opting for less expensive choices.
In response, he has cut back on pricier dishes and added more budget-friendly takeaway options.
However, while customers can reduce their spending on cafe meals, Dave said business owners have little influence over many of their largest bills.
He said workers’ compensation insurance alone costs the cafe $700 a week, even though the business has never lodged a claim during its 15 years of operation.
Other insurance premiums, gas, electricity and delivery charges have also risen, with Dave saying additional fuel surcharges were appearing on supplier invoices.
‘You get your delivery, and there’s another surcharge on there. It’s just literally one thing after the other.’
He believes many customers underestimate how much it costs to keep a cafe operating because they only see the final price on the menu – not what’s going on behind the scenes.
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Dave said the challenge was finding enough money to cover every obligation while keeping the business running.
‘Minimum wages have gone up, which I understand. I don’t begrudge paying anyone,’ he said.
However, he was concerned about the cash-flow implications of more frequent superannuation payments, which he said would leave less flexibility to manage other expenses.
‘Before it was quarterly, you could kind of work towards putting it aside for three months,’ he said.
‘Now, that has to go to the top of the list, so everything else suffers. Supplies, and my personal wage goes down, obviously.’
Under Australia’s Payday Super reforms, employers are required to pay superannuation alongside wages from July 1, 2026, replacing the previous quarterly payment arrangements.
Dave said the greatest irony was that while he was responsible for paying his employees, he could not always afford to put money aside for his own retirement.
When asked whether he contributed to his own superannuation, he replied: ‘No. A lot of small business owners don’t. We neglect ourselves first because we can’t afford it. We’re the last ones to get paid, last ones to get super.’
He explained that his financial priorities were straightforward: rent, staff and suppliers came first, with his own income being whatever remained.
He is also concerned about potential changes to disposable takeaway coffee cups, although he acknowledged he was unsure whether the proposals would proceed. (The NSW government backflipped on its plan a week after the legislation passed parliament).
After 15 years in business, Dave said the biggest change was how difficult it had become to make a reasonable living
He said any requirement for cafes to provide reusable cups themselves could create further expenses and slow down service.
‘At the moment, we take keep cups gladly, obviously, like everyone else. But if we have to be supplying keep cups and handing them out, that’s just ludicrous.’
Dave believes governments have underestimated the cumulative effect of rising expenses and regulatory changes on small businesses.
‘I just feel like this government’s so out of touch with the way small businesses are being run,’ he said.
‘All small businesses are on their knees at the moment, and I feel like they’re just kicking us while we’re down.’
Despite his frustration, Dave was careful not to portray himself as a victim. He acknowledged that his cafe remained busy and that many other hospitality operators were in a far more precarious financial position.
He also stressed that he did not want customers to feel responsible for the difficulties facing hospitality businesses.
‘I don’t want anyone’s pity or anything,’ he said.
Instead, he hoped people would understand why cafes sometimes had little choice but to increase their prices.
After 15 years in business, Dave said the biggest change was how difficult it had become to make a reasonable living, even with loyal customers and an established reputation.
‘It’s just the fact that costs are so high. It’s just getting harder and harder,’ he said.
Parents Arrested After Toddler Found Near Volusia County Retention Pond, Deputies Say
Child now in the care of a grandparent, both parents facing charges according to Volusia Sheriff’s Office
DELTONA, Fla. – Two parents have been arrested after their 4-year-old child was found walking through a retention pond in Deltona, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded Saturday morning and quickly located the child in the water. They pulled the 4-year-old to safety before finding the child’s home, according to authorities.
Inside the residence, deputies reported finding unsanitary conditions, including animal waste, a roach infestation and mold. Deltona Animal Control took custody of a caged dog that deputies described as neglected, while a grandparent took custody of the child.
Both parents were arrested on charges of child neglect and animal cruelty, deputies said.
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Authorities have been contacted for additional information, including the names of the parents. Check back for updates.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
Timothy Lee Charged in Chicago Carjacking Attempt With Kids Inside
CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago man allegedly attempted to steal a vehicle containing a woman and her two young children before carjacking another woman at a Northwest Side carwash Thursday, according to police and court records.
Timothy Lee, 39, faces charges including vehicular hijacking, attempted vehicular hijacking and unlawful vehicular invasion.
The first incident was reported shortly before 4:15 p.m. in the 2300 block of North Lister Avenue in Bucktown, police said.
According to court documents, Lee allegedly tried to take the vehicle while a woman and her children—an 11-month-old baby and a 4-year-old child—were inside.
At about the same time, police radio traffic described the incident as an attempted child kidnapping.
“Attempted kidnapping of a child. 2400 North Damen; Damen and Fullerton,” an officer said over the radio. “The child is safe and OK, but the offender, who was in a white box truck, then fled.”
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Police said the suspect then drove to a nearby carwash in the 2100 block of West Fullerton Avenue. After stepping out of a white van, he allegedly stole a vehicle from a woman there.
“I guess he jumped in the front seat while she was vacuuming the backseat,” a voice on the police scanner said.
Lee is scheduled to appear in court Saturday.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
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Celebrity Jeweler Who Sold Cardi B a $3M Rolex Accused of Stealing $5M in Hermès Birkin Bags
Cardi B has bought a $3 million Rolex from a celebrity jeweler facing allegations that he helped take nearly $5 million in Hermès Birkin bags, jewelry and other luxury goods from an elderly Florida woman.
Eric Mavani, known online as Eric the Jeweler, reportedly sold the rapper an exceptionally rare “Barbie” Rolex Daytona last week. The watch features pink gemstones and an 18-karat gold case.
Mavani has built a high-profile social media presence, with more than 400,000 Instagram followers and photos alongside celebrities such as Tom Brady, Drake and Kim Kardashian.
However, court records identify him as one of four men accused of participating in an elaborate wire-transfer scheme targeting Miami luxury handbag dealer Debra Kent. The allegations appear in a 2024 lawsuit Kent filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court over the alleged theft of Hermès Birkin bags, jewelry and clothing.
According to the lawsuit, Mavani allegedly assisted celebrity car broker RD William Whittington—star of the television series “Million Dollar Wheels” and the case’s primary defendant—in taking advantage of Kent while she was medically vulnerable. The complaint claims Whittington manipulated her into turning over more than 50 luxury handbags and seeks $13.8 million in damages.
Whittington had reportedly been a longtime customer of Kent before she became so ill that doctors placed her in a medically induced coma, according to the complaint. The lawsuit does not specify her illness.
During Kent’s recovery, Whittington allegedly ordered approximately $5 million worth of high-end merchandise. When payment was due, he reportedly told her that a wire transfer was in progress.
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Court documents allege that Whittington assigned part of the order to Mavani to settle a debt. The portion allegedly given to the jeweler consisted of about 23 Hermès bags valued at roughly $1.5 million.
“The amounts alleged to be paid by [Mavani] to Whittington, even if true, were a fraction of the value of the inventory,” the complaint states.
When attorneys questioned Mavani about the alleged arrangement, he reportedly denied wrongdoing and characterized himself as a “bonafide” buyer.
“It is believed that [Mavani] knew much more than that to which he admitted,” the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit further claims that Mavani had already resold some of the handbags allegedly taken from Kent.
“[Mavani] was entirely pleased with himself for participating in the fleecing of a vulnerable, sick senior citizen,” the complaint claims.
Attorneys representing Whittington, Mavani and Kent did not respond to requests for comment.
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Exclusive: US State Department Accuses Politicians of Endangering Afrikaner Lives After South Africa Farm Attacks
The U.S. State Department has sharply criticized South Africa and several of its politicians, alleging that their rhetoric is placing lives at risk after two attacks on White farmers believed to be Afrikaners — South Africans of European descent — near Johannesburg.
A 50-year-old man was reportedly tortured, while a 55-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death.
In exclusive comments to News Media, a State Department spokesperson said, “the lives and property of Afrikaners have been endangered by politicians who incite race-based violence against them.”
US President Donald Trump, right, and Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The statement marks the latest escalation in an increasingly bitter dispute between Washington and Pretoria. The tensions first erupted publicly during a heated Oval Office exchange last year between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over a range of South African policies and issues, including concerns about the safety of the Afrikaner community.
Ian Cameron, chair of South Africa’s Portfolio Committee on Police and a member of Parliament from the main opposition Democratic Alliance, described this month’s attacks as “appalling.”
Cameron said one of the attacks involved Donovan Marx, a 50-year-old man who was at his farm roughly 80 miles from Johannesburg.
Speaking to News Media, Cameron said reports indicated that Marx was shot and stabbed, and that his ears were cut off. He described the assault as an act of “extraordinary cruelty.”
In a separate incident earlier this month in the same North West Province, 55-year-old farmer Hannetjie van Zyl was allegedly beaten to death while she was opening a gate.
President Donald Trump shows documents as he meets South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday, May 21, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Witnesses reportedly said van Zyl was attacked from behind and struck repeatedly on the head with an iron bar.
Vehicles and personal belongings were reportedly taken in both incidents. However, Corné Mulder, leader of the opposition Freedom Front Plus, said the alleged torture of Marx appeared to go beyond a conventional burglary or robbery.
“Safety and farm attacks in South Africa remains a huge problem,” Mulder told News Media. “Donovan Marx was attacked this week. He’s fighting for his life in hospital at the moment. The perpetrators not only attacked him, they tried to castrate him.”
Although both victims were White, public figures have not alleged that either attack was racially motivated.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the State of the Nation address in Cape Town, South Africa, on Feb. 12, 2026. (Rodger Bosch/Pool via Reuters)
Cameron said the attacks were part of a broader pattern. He said he had “personally attended farm-attack scenes where people were tortured with boiling water, burnt with clothing irons and subjected to other horrific abuse.”
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The South African Police Service, or SAPS, must assign experienced investigators, forensic teams and crime-intelligence officers to the cases, Cameron said. “Nobody should have to accept this level of violence as a normal part of life,” he added.
Mulder called the reported torture of farmers “unthinkable.” He also criticized President Ramaphosa for failing to publicly acknowledge the incidents or express sympathy.
“We have been pleading with [the] government to prioritize rural crime and farm attacks as a priority crime, they are not prepared to do so,” Mulder said.
News Media contacted the South African government for comment but was directed to police authorities, who did not immediately respond.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the opening session of the G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Misper Apawu/ AP Phot/Pool)
Mulder claims the recent farm attacks were fueled by the South African president’s refusal to heed Trump’s demand last year to stop performances of the song “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer.” The term “Boer” refers to a South African of Dutch or Huguenot descent, according to Merriam-Webster.
Ramaphosa said he could not stop the song being chanted in stadiums by crowds of up to 90,000 because the country’s highest court has said the lyrics are not hate speech.
“As long as [President Ramaphosa] does not stop the incitement to attack farmers with the singing of the song “Kill the Boer,” the attacks will continue,” Mulder wrote in a statement. “We see the practical reality when these things play out as happened with the last two farm attacks that we’ve seen.”
Last month, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell III told News Media that Ramaphosa could ban the song despite a court ruling that it did not constitute hate speech.
“So, to say, well, you can’t do it because the court said it’s not, you know, that’s poppycock,” Bozell said. “If President Ramaphosa, if he wants to, he can do it. It’s just as simple as that.”
The State Department doubled down on the administration’s demand that the singing of the song be banned, with a spokesperson telling News Media on Friday, “The United States asked senior government officials to condemn incitement to race-based violence, particularly the singing of “Kill the Farmer! Kill the Boer!”
U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell III (L) poses for a photograph after presenting letters of credence to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) at Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria on April 8, 2026. (Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images)
The spokesperson added that Trump has demanded South Africa formally designate rural crime as a priority crime, and “expand alternatives to the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment ownership requirements, such as equity equivalent investment programs.”
Regarding farmers, the State Department spokesperson said South African politicians “threaten to confiscate their farms without compensation and support a corrupt, race-based scoring system that discriminates against Afrikaners and other minorities in employment.”
“The lack of a meaningful response to these requests made clear that the South African government does not want a constructive relationship with the United States and is willing to continue pursuing oppressive policies that disadvantage all South Africans,” the spokesperson continued.
Nearly 13,000 South African refugees, most of them Afrikaners, have been flown to the U.S. during fiscal year 2026. That number is expected to increase by another 17,500 refugees in fiscal year 2027.
“As directed by President Trump, we are prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaners in South Africa escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination,” the State Department spokesperson said.