Man killed at Kruger border resort
2007-12-02 23:57
Marloth Park (Komatipoort) - A Western Cape estate agent who lived for the outdoors has been gunned down in cold blood at his holiday home next to the Kruger National Park.
There were at least another two attacks in the holiday town shortly afterwards at the weekend, presumably the work of the same armed gang.
"Marloth Park's burning," said residents on Sunday, after the murder of 50-year-old Rudolph "Rudi" Harris on Friday night.
Harris, an estate agent at Robertson, was shot within an hour of arriving at his holiday home.
Arrie de Beer, head of crime prevention in the Lowveld, said Harris had been shot dead while wrestling with an armed attacker.
Residents and holidaymakers at Marloth Park have been plagued for the past four years by armed gangs, most of them from Mozambique.
Armed with AK-47
Harris's murder was the 12th incident involving firearms in the town in the past three weeks.
Harris, his wife Susan and friends from Middelburg were having supper at the plush home in Krokodil Street, when a gang of five robbers struck.
According to De Beer, Harris went outside to get his hat which he'd left in his car.
He bumped into the gang in the dark. One of them was armed with an AK-47.
Harris shouted at them and stormed at the robber with the AK-47.
While he and the man were wrestling against the wooden fence of the lapa, another robber shot Harris in the back.
Harris tried to make it to the house, but collapsed after about three metres.
Susan had pressed the security alarm panic button. Her husband died in her arms.
The robbers fled without stealing anything.
Lived for Marloth
Harris's eldest son, Eldrid, told Eugene Gunning of Die Burger on Sunday: "My father loved the outdoors. He lived for Marloth. It's a very difficult time for my mom."
Eldrid said his parents and the rest of the family were to have gone to Franskraal in the Western Cape for a holiday next week.
In spite of a strong police presence in Marloth Park after the murder, another two families were attacked barely 24 hours later, presumably by the same gang.
Special police team
On Saturday night shortly after 21:00 in Luiperd Street a family was attacked and robbed of money and cellphones.
Four hours later a second family was attacked in Swartwitpens Street, while they were asleep. Money, cellphones and food was stolen from them.
The police have put together a special team to investigate the wave of robberies in Marloth Park.
Willie van Zyl, manager of Hi-Tech Security at Marloth Park, said that since 2003 there had been 93 armed robberies.