Panic Grips Community After 75-Year-Old Man Found Tied Up and Murdered in His Home

A wave of fear and outrage swept through Cape Town's Table View suburb on November 20, 2025, after the brutal murder of 75-year-old resident Frederick "Freddie" Botha, whose bound and lifeless body was discovered in his quiet home on Bloubergstrand Drive. Neighbors, alerted by a foul odor and days of silence from the reclusive pensioner, broke into the property Wednesday evening to find Botha on the floor, his arms and legs tightly bound with electrical cords, a cloth gag stuffed in his mouth, and signs of severe blunt force trauma to the head. Police confirmed the scene pointed to a violent robbery gone deadly, with drawers ransacked and valuables like his wallet, watch, and a small safe missing—estimated at R50,000 in losses.