Kebble: 'Business as usual'

2005-09-28 22:36

Ziegfried Ekron

Cape Town - There was not much evidence of mining magnet Brett Kebble's bloody assassination in Johannesburg at his Bishopscourt offices here on Wednesday.

A security guard at the office complex in Klaassens Road said: "Many cars have been coming and going the whole morning, but apart from that it was very much like any other day."

The guard said many of the staff who usually worked there had gone to Johannesburg after hearing the news.

At the offices of the Brett Kebble Trust in Upper Torquay Road, staff with wooden faces said they were badly shocked, but that Kebble's spokesperson had left for Johannesburg to organise matters there.

Former judge Willem Heath, Kebble's lawyer, said Kebble's father, Roger, had been battling on Wednesday morning to get a flight from Paris, where he was when he heard the news.

"I suspect he will try to fly directly to Cape Town to support Brett's family, but will take the first available flight just to get to South Africa."

'Seemed like a planned attack'

Kebble's wife, Ingrid, and his children were apparently in Cape Town when he was murdered.

Although police have not yet confirmed it officially, Heath said Kebble's murder seemed more like a planned attack rather than a hijacking that had gone wrong.

"It's not in line with a normal hijacking. One of the shots went out through the back window.

"This doesn't sound like something a hijacker would do, but we will have to wait and see what the police investigation comes up with."

He didn't want to speculate about a possible motive for the attack.

Heath also flew to Cape Town from Johannesburg on Wednesday morning, but said he had been gooing there on business, anyway.

"I will support the family and stay informed about the investigation into Brett's death," he said.

Sympathy streams in

Meanwhile, eulogies and messages of sympathy have been streaming in to the family's website, www.brettkebble.co.za.

One of them was from Linda Mohr, the adopted mother of Bongani Mvumvu, 16.

Bongani was able to take part in the International Equestrian Federation's championships in Germany after a donation from Kebble.

Bongani was named world dressage champion in the 13 to 16 age group at the championships.

Mohr's message read: "Sorry to hear about Brett. Love, Linda."

- Die Burger