Police closing in on crazed E Cape gunman

Grahamstown – Karoo police said yesterday they were “positive” they would soon catch the crazed Steynsburg gunman who shot four people, killing two of them, on Sunday.

Police spokesman Captain Stefanie Smith said they were following a lead from a community member. They expected an arrest soon. “We know the name of the suspect, but at this stage we can’t reveal his name. We are following a lead based on information we received from members of the community,” she said.

Capt Smith said the gunman was believed to have broken into a gun safe owned by his employer, sheep farmer Wikus Bekker, early on Sunday morning.

The man removed an R4 rifle and ammunition, stole Mr Bekker’s bakkie and drove to another of his farms, Teebus Waters, where he shot three people, killing two of them and wounding 36-year-old Daisy Wuma in the leg.

The gunman reportedly left Teebus Waters and returned to Mr Bekker’s Klipheuwel farm where he shot at farmer Charles Viljoen, wounding him in the arm. Mr Viljoen and Mrs Wuma were both admitted to Steynsburg hospital. Mr Viljoen has been discharged and Mrs Wuma is expected to go home in three to five days. The dead men were identified as Kleinbooi Wuma, 60, and Patrick Maboza, 38 years.

Both were employed by Mr Bekker, who was at a wedding in Bloemfontein at the time.

Yesterday, a distraught Mr Bekker said he and the gunman had a “very good relationship”. He said the man had grown up on Klipheuwel farm and he trusted him “very much”. “My heart is broken for all my people. I don’t understand why he did this, when I left for Bloemfontein there was no problem between him and me or the other workers.” – ECN

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