A gang of robbers forced their way into the Pretoria farm house and opened fire on the 83-year-old.

JOHANNESBURG - Former Springbok rally driver and cyclist Jan Hettema has been killed in a shooting on a farm in Boschkop in Pretoria.

A gang of robbers forced their way into the farm house in Pretoria this morning, and opened fire on the 83-year-old.

His wife was also assaulted by the attackers.

Netcare 911's Athlenda Mathe says, "When we arrived on scene, we found that the elderly man had already died, before our arrival, due to the gunshot wound he sustained. We declared him dead on scene, before handing the body over to the Boschkop police."

Hettema won the South African rally championship five times.

He also competed in cycling at the 1956 Olympics held in Australia.