Shots fired in retaliation - Brad Wood
2011-09-13 08:45
Johannesburg - Shots fired during a reconnaissance mission, in which four alleged illegal miners were killed, were cover fire, former Big Brother celebrity Brad Wood has testified.
Answering questions from state prosecutor Anthony Mosing in a Delmas court about the shooting, Wood said his shots were not aimed at anyone, according to The Star newspaper on Tuesday.
Wood and his co-accused, Herbie Trouw, Willem Coetzer, Nicolas Pretorius and Micky Mazenen, were charged with murder following the killing of the miners at the embattled Aurora Empowerment Systems Grootvlei mine, near Springs, last year.
The State alleges the five went in "guns blazing", and shot the miners without any warning.
Several other illegal miners were wounded. Wood was the company's security head at the time.
Reconnaissance mission
In his testimony on Monday, Wood said he was the only member of the group to fire a gun and one other member was carrying a firearm.
He said a reconnaissance mission was set up after reports were received about illegal miners at Ndlovu mineshaft.
Wood said he met Trouw and Coetzer, Pretorius and Mazelem, members of the mine's second security branch Delta Blue, and mine management on the morning of August 9.
Security guards testified last week that Wood arrived with a cache of firearms, which Wood has denied.
He did say, however, that he was equipped with a semi-automatic rifle and his own Glock handgun.
Wood said he entered the mine with a bullet proof vest, a utility jacket and a mine lamp.
The group discovered food wrappers, makeshift bedding and the ransacking of electrical substations and copper cables in the tunnel, according to the report.
Wood said voices were heard and he handed a torch, his Glock and the lamp to other members of his group. He then began climbing down a steep tunnel, when he lost his footing and made a noise.
The safety catch of the rifle was off and several lights were shone at him, he said. There was a flash and a gunshot sound that led him to fire twice back into the dark.
Wood said he did not hear any cries of pain after the shooting.
Ownership of the mine is associated with President Jacob Zuma's nephew Khulubuse Zuma and former president Nelson Mandela's grandson Zondwa Mandela.
- SAPA
