A family watched in horror as a group of attackers tried to force their 6-year-old son into the oven and threatened to cook him alive.

The distraught boy was at the mercy of seven heavily armed men who attacked the family farm in Mpumulanga Province, South Africa.

The gang rudely put the screaming young man into the oven and said they would grill him because they thought his family had hidden cash from them.

Niel Bierman, a 47-year-old cattle breeder, his wife Sonja, 43-year-old son Daniel, 10-year-old Jacobus, and 6-year-old Gideon were ambushed on their 15-year-old farm.

The family runs a hotel on their land, and on Saturday, two men and a woman came to the door.

Sonja, the mother of three children, said that seven men and one woman came to her house suddenly.

"There was no time to react because they were holding shotguns and five pistols and tied Neil up," she explained.

"They left my husband in the kitchen and took me to the safe deposit box. I could do nothing but pray loudly to God for his protection."

They took away her frightened sons Daniel, Jacobs, and Gideon, then aimed their weapons at the four of them and threatened to open fire unless they opened the safe.

Inside were a 7.65mm Browning pistol, a Browning rifle and a projectile gun, but no money or valuables-this made the group angry because they thought there was another hidden safe.

Sonia said: "I told them time and time again that we don't put money in the house, but they didn't believe me. When I tried to calm the children down, I heard shots fired in the house.

"I don't know if my husband is alive or dead, and then they grabbed my youngest Gideon and took us to the kitchen, where I found out that my husband was not shot.

"When they opened the oven door and grabbed Gideon and tried to push him into the oven, Niel was helpless and had to watch with horror, but he fought back bravely and fought with them.

"They finally gave up, but still wanted money. I gave them my piggy bank and the 200 rand (£10) in my wallet, and my eldest son gave them the wallet with a few rand in it."

By chance, a worker wandered to the farm to fetch some feed for the chickens and saw what had happened. They ran to sound the alarm, causing the gang to panic and escape.

They took Niel's bank card and PIN code, several mobile phones, guns and the keys of an Isuzu pickup truck, which they stole after binding other family members.

Sonia said: "Once we are tied together, I don't know what will happen next. Are we in the queue waiting for execution? I just pray to God that my children will not see me being shot."

The gang is still at large and their family members are receiving counseling.

Police spokesman Captain Kay Makhubla confirmed that Leeufontein's farm had been ransacked by armed groups on several occasions.

This is just one of a series of inhumane attacks on farmers recently, including an old woman who was tortured by a blowtorch while being held down.

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