Mpuma man shoots his wife, self

2007-03-12 09:38

Naranda Nell and Buks Viljoen

Johannesburg - A man from Dullstroom in Mpumalanga allegedly shot his wife in cold blood on Sunday afternoon as a number of Gauteng holidaymakers watched.

He shot himself in the chest after fleeing, and was being treated in Lydenburg Provincial Hospital under police guard later on Sunday.

It seems as if Johan Riekert, apparently in his late thirties, waited until all the clients had left the trout shop, Milly's, where his wife Riekie, 35, worked as manager before he rushed in and fired seven shots at her.

She apparently tried to flee through the shop's window, but was stopped by a fatal shot. She lay on her stomach on the shop's veranda.

Shot himself

The well-known Critchley shopping centre, in which Milly's is situated, was apparently very busy after a large group of holidaymakers from Gauteng had attended a trout weekend. They were getting ready to return home.

Riekert fled after shooting his wife.

Local police spokesperson captain Sizane Mazibuko confirmed the murder.

Beeld later found that Riekert had phoned his brother, telling him he had been wounded. Corne Riekert found his brother with a bullet wound to the chest in his car on a dirt road outside Dullstroom. He rushed his wounded brother to the hospital in Lydenburg.

The bullet, apparently from his own gun, had apparently just missed his heart.

Milly Cilliers, owner of Milly's, said Mrs Riekert apparently twice on Sunday morning went to Annie Stuiver, owner of Jo Bangles, a dress shop, to talk to her.

Mrs Riekert apparently feared for her life. According to her she and her husband were experiencing problems. According to Cilliers, Mrs Riekert had asked Stuiver not to lock her shop before Riekert had also locked the shop where she was working.

According to Cilliers, Riekert was a good employee and had been working there for six years.

She was also a fashion designer and enjoyed making clothes for Jo Bangels.

Stuiver was not available for comment, but according to Cilliers, Stuiver was first to arrive at the murder scene and was utterly shocked.

Police confirmed that they had found five 9mm bullet casings on the scene. Mrs Riekert had three bullet wounds to her upper body. The police also confiscated the alleged murder weapon, a 9mm pistol, which Corne Riekert had found on his brother.

It appeared that the Riekerts were getting divorced and were living apart. They had two sons, one in Grade 5 and another in Grade 7.

This incident is the fifth family-related murder to have taken place in Mpumalanga since the beginning of the year.

In the most recent incident, a policeman, Marius van Rooyen, 32, shot his wife, Jackie, 30, in the head in their bedroom in Secunda on March 1.

On February 28, Dirk Beukes, 84, allegedly shot his wife, Dina, 82, and her sister, Hilda Allers, 92, in a flat next to his son's house in Middelburg.

On February 20, Fanie Ferreira shot his wife Elise behind her desk at an oil depot of the Sasol plant in Secunda. He afterwards turned the gun on himself.

- Beeld