Kebble suicide’s eerie similarities

Published Aug 26, 2015

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Cape Town - Ten years ago, his millionaire son, Brett Kebble, was killed in a car on a Joburg highway. A decade later, the body of his father, Roger, was also found in a car, this time on a Cape Town road.

While the two deaths took place over a thousand kilometres away, and 10 years apart, the similarities are uncanny: both Kebbles died in suicides.

Roger’s body was found slumped over the steering wheel of his silver Mercedes-Benz CL500 as police and emergency vehicles cordoned off the scene in Bishopscourt on Tuesday.

Bizarrely, Brett’s body was also found in a silver Mercedes-Benz.

A passerby had alerted authorities to the grisly discovery and a witness, who asked not to be named, said he initially thought it was a robbery gone wrong.

“I was on my way home and saw a lot of police vans and ambulances and knew something was up. The security (guard) I asked said he shot himself in the heart.”

The witness said he believed this could have been true because there was more blood on Roger’s shirt than anywhere else, and some blood was coming from his ears.

“At first it looked like he could have been sleeping, until you saw the front of the shirt. I was going to just drive past the scene but saw the car was expensive and the licence plate was short.”

He added that this made him linger at the scene and, after speaking to more people gathered at the scene, he could confirm it was Kebble. “The unusual thing is that it is a beautiful, tranquil spot.”

The body was removed just after 6pm.

It emerged during the investigation into Brett Kebble’s death that his murder was in fact a death he had himself arranged.

In 2005, Brett, a mining magnate, was killed in what has been described as a “bizarre assisted suicide plot”.

Brett was killed by bouncers, Mikey Schultz, Faizel “Kappie” Smith and Nigel McGurk. They were the State’s prime suspects, but during their trial they had maintained that Brett was in financial trouble and were promised R500 000 each to kill him. They were given immunity, despite confessing to the 2005 murder, having turned State’s witnesses against Glenn Agliotti, who was later acquitted of the murder.

Brett’s father’s death, however, appears to have come at his own hand.

Roger Kebble was also a prominent business figure in mining.

Roger’s surviving son, Guy Kebble, said the family did not suspect foul play.

He said his father had been feeling unwell for some time. Roger had reportedly felt that he was becoming a burden to his family.

While police did not identify him, spokeswoman Constable Noloyiso Rwexana confirmed a shooting incident had taken place.

However, the police reports differed from eyewitnesses who claim Kebble had shot himself in the chest.

“The body of a 76-year-old man was found by police inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head,” said Rwexana.

She said the body was found in the parked car near the corner of Monterey and Upper Bebington avenues in Bishopscourt.

The death comes a month before the anniversary of his son’s death on September 27, 2005.

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Cape Argus

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