Crime victims in Randburg, Parkview, Roodepoort

By Censorbugbear

Marius Potgieter, 33, security employee, shot dead, Weltevreden Park, Roodepoort

Beeld writes that Marius Potgieter, a 33-year-old security official was shot dead on Tuesday by a man with a rifle in a robbery at the Weltevreden Park security housing complex in Roodepoort. A day earlier, a woman was also robbed of her cellphone at gunpoint with a rifle in the same complex.

Potgieter was shot dead with one shot through the heart, in front of his stepdaughter Sherrie Hulley, her boyfriend Chrizaan van der Merwe and Chrizaan's mother Rita van der Merwe (45).

The murderer took a gun, some cash and two cellphones. Mrs Van der Merwe was busy with clearing out her flat at Devon Valley Nr. 2 to move in with her boyfriend Philip Vorster.

While her goods were being loaded, a man entered the flat and held her up with a rifle, demanding her computer. When she said she'd already loaded it in the van, he tied her up leaving her in the flat and taking some money and cellphones.

At that moment Ms Hulley, her boyfriend Chrizaan and Potgieter walked in unaware of the danger inside. The two men were tied up.

"My stepfather (Potgieter) works at the security company and tried to stop the robbers. He apparently feared that the robbers were going to hurt me because I had not been tied up,' said Ms Hulley. A struggle ensued during which Potgieter was shot with a rifle carried by one of the attackers.

Police emergency number 10111 did not work at all

Miss Hulley ran out screaming for help and pressed the car horn. "One of the robbers came outside, jumped over the fence and was gone." Mrs van der Merwe phoned her boyfriend Philip Vorster. "We tried to phone the police but the emergency 10111 number didn't work at all.' (This was due to the fact that the emergency services in the West Rand were on strike. Click here)

She said a neighbouring woman had also been robbed a day earlier, also with a rifle. "It probably was the same attacker," she surmised. Potgieter was shot through the heart and died within five minutes at the scene. The Honeydew police station is investigating the case. Beeld

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All emergency services in this West Rand were brought to a total halt on Tuesday. Dozens of EMS workers demanding better salaries demonstrated outside the offices. “We have 200 people - we just told the control centre no emergency call is going outside or no call is going to be dispatched to any ambulance or fire engines today [Tuesday],” said EMS’ Percy Morokane. Click here

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Gert van Schalkwyk, 28, TV actor in the soap "Egoli" in second kidnap ordeal in Parkview

Beeld reports that Gert van Schalkwyk, 28-year-old actor in the South African TV soap Egoli suffered a second kidnapping ordeal from his home - by kidnappers who claim that they 'are watching him'. They dropped their plans to rape him when he said 'they should then just give him their gun afterwards because he would shoot himself'. Van Schalkwyk plays the role of a debonair playboy pilot, Jacques Mynhardt, in the TV-soap.

Police captain Cynthia Magoai confirmed that Mynhardt had been kidnapped from his Parkview home in Johannesburg on Sunday at around 11am by a group of men who drove a white Nissan 1400-bakkie.

They had pulled their bakkie in behind Van Schalkwyk's silver Toyota RunX in his driveway just as he was driving out. A man jumped out and asked for directions. "I still made a joke and said sorry but my GPS was broken', said Van Schalkwyk.

The man pulled out a 9mm pistol and another man grabbed his car keys, forcing him into the passenger seat where they drove off in his car. The kidnappers' vehicle drove ahead - first getting lost in Melville - and then taking the back roads to Riverlea in the west of Johannesburg, where they stopped at a park.

A 'discussion' took place in which it asked whether his car had a tracing system. They took his bank cards and demanded his PIN code. Two men went off to get cash while the others held him at gunpoint. Van Schalkwyk: "When they realised that my daily cash card withdrawals were limited to R1,500 ($150) a day, they threatened to keep me there until after midnight to draw more money.'

They got angry, slapping and pistol-whipping him after they had searched him, finding R200 in cash and a girl friend's petrol card in his pants' pockets.

Threatened to rape him

They also threatened to rape him. 'I told them, do that and then you must give me your pistol because I will shoot myself afterwards', Van Schalkwyk told Beeld. They then gave him a squeeze, pushed him out of the car with R20 for 'taxi money' and told him to walk away and not look back.

He walked to a tent church which was located about 200 metres from the park and asked for help. "The entire congregation came out to help me. I stopped the service,' he said. Church-goers took him to the nearby Langlaagte police station. His car, house keys, a Blackberry, R1700 ($170) in cash and four sunglasses had been stolen. He is now living elsewhere because 'the kidnappers told me they were watching my house'. The Parkview police are investigating the case.

Randburg father Justin Browne‘slaughtered like an animal’ - judge

Pretoria News reports that ‘Justin Browne was slaughtered like an animal,’ said Johannesburg acting judge Gerhardus Hattingh when when he found three men guilty of slitting his throat in front of his children, then aged seven and three.

Hattingh also found that the three killers; Kenneth Kaman Mukhari, 34, alias Mario dos Santos, Jose Aurelio, 33, alias Domingo Mathebula and Sidumo Mabaso, 33, all from Mozambique, acted with common purpose to kill Browne. The three were also found guilty of robbing the Browne family in their house in Northwold, Randburg, on August 26 2007.

Mukhari who was the mastermind of the robberies in affluent areas around Randburg was also found guilty on three counts of housebreaking and theft and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances as well as the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

'He won't be here to watch me grow up'

One of Mukhrari’s victims was pierced in the lung during an attack; two other victims, Shaleen and Allan Strydom were seated in the gallery to hear Friday's verdict.

Aurelio was also found guilty of housebreaking and theft, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition as well as the murder of his brother-in-law, Reuben Mathebula who died after being shot four times.

After their conviction, the three appealed to Judge Hattingh ‘to be lenient when passing sentence, saying they were in their early 30s, married with minor children living in Mozambique.’

The appeal for clemency outraged Justin's widow, Geordie during her testimony in aggravation of the sentence.

She also told the court that like the killers, her husband would have turned 33 on Wednesday. Geordie Browne struggled to hold back tears when she told the court that her children lit a candle on Wednesday and sang Happy Birthday for their father. She offered the judge messages from her children describing their affection for her husband. Daniella, who witnessed her father bleed to death, wrote:

• "He won't be able to walk me down aisle when I get married or be there to celebrate my 21st birthday or Christmas. I love you so much Daddy and I miss you, good night, Daddy."
• Robin, who was three at the time, said: "I miss Daddy lots because he died. I miss playing rally and cards, and throwing the ball to me in rugby. I miss him when he bathed me and swam with me. "He won't be here to watch me grow up. But I know he loves us and protects us."

Justin's stepson, Tristan, wrote: "I miss my dad because he and I will not be able to throw the ball to each other or play PlayStation together."The three accused will be sentenced on Thursday.