Man shot after 18th birthday

2008-07-14 09:37

Carina van Wyk

Johannesburg - A man died on Sunday morning, only hours after his 18th birthday party, when a reaction team member from a security company shot him, apparently in self-defence.

The reaction team officer shot both Brandon Koekemoer and his father Kobus in their stomachs, after he was called out to a house in Witpoortjie, Roodepoort.

Koekemoer jnr died early on Sunday morning. His girlfriend, Charné (whose surname is not known) is apparently seven months pregnant with his child. Koekemoer snr was in a critical condition in hospital.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I think something like this would happen. The only thing that I could do, was to shoot," said the badly-traumatised security guard, 33, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of his life.

He said a group of men assaulted him and damaged his car when he arrived at the house. Koekemoer snr tried to take his gun. "I was only trying to do my job. If they had taken my pistol, something much worse could have happened. I feel very sad about the boy that died."

Bad blood

The incident came after months of bad blood between two groups of friends, all former and current pupils at Bastion High School.

Elsabé van der Westhuizen said more than 20 men stormed into her yard at about 22:15. One of the men hit her daughter's boyfriend, Reinhard Myburgh, 21, also known as Oupa.

She said Koekemoer snr allegedly threatened to shoot her and had said to Myburgh: "If you touch one of the children tonight, I will shoot you."

Van der Westhuizen's sister, Petro Krugel, in the meantime pressed the panic button in the house.

Elize Cordier, who lives in the neighbourhood and is trained in first aid, said: "Shots were fired and two people were lying there. I kept the father alive and lied to him, saying his son was okay. I held his head and every time his eyes closed, I said to him, 'Kobus, stay awake'. I sat next to him for more than an hour. You feel so powerless because you know his son is lying there".

Cordier said they were taken to Krugersdorp private hospital by ambulance. Koekemoer jnr died shortly afterwards.

Party

A good friend of Koekemoer jnr, who wanted to remain anonymous as he feared victimisation, said on Sunday that Myburgh had arrived at the party at the Witpoortjie tennis courts where he apparently broke a sound system in Koekemoer jnr's brother Morné's car. He then allegedly drove off, spinning his wheels.

The Koekemoer brothers and their father then went to Myburgh's girlfriend's house to "go and sort things out". There had been strife between the young men for several months.

Myburgh on Sunday denied being at the party.

Provincial police spokesperson, Superintendent Eugene Opperman said a docket had been opened for a post-mortem for Koekemoer jnr. No formal complaint against the reaction team officer is being investigated at this point as Opperman said it appeared he had acted in self-defence.

- Beeld