'He walked into a bar and shot everyone'

Published Jul 2, 2002

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By Johan Schronen and Sapa

It sounded like war when the man opened fire on "everything that moved" as he paced down the town's main street.

People ran for cover into houses and shops, and staff locked doors and switched off lights, said Postmasburg town clerk Daantjie Ross.

The town of Postmasburg in the Northern Cape was rocked on Monday night when a former police officer allegedly went on a shooting rampage with a machine gun. Four people were killed and eight wounded.

Inspector Chantal Manuel said the shooting occurred between 7pm and 8.30pm. The man, who had just completed a six-month jail term for fraud, stormed the local police station and held a duty officer at knife point, demanding a firearm.

The policeman was packing firearms into a safe ahead of a shift change. The man took three weapons and ammunition.

He then went into the street and allegedly started firing randomly at passing people, killing two before going to a cafe and a tavern where he mowed down 10 others - two of whom later died.

Seven victims are being treated at Kimberley Hospital while one is at Postmasburg Hospital.

Ross said the man, who apparently had an argument with his wife before the shooting, barged into Tom's Cafe, killing a man and wounding his wife.

"I was sitting in my car and I saw him walking on the opposite side of the road. He had his gun in the air, letting rip while he looked around for more people," said Ross.

"He shot at my car but I sped off. Then he walked into a bar and shot everyone in sight," Ross said.

The gunman hijacked a vehicle and drove to nearby Newton, where he found a tavern owner and his family about to leave for a holiday in their car with a trailer.

"The madman killed the man in his car in cold blood."

The family scrambled to safety before he hijacked the car and sped to Beeshoek, where he called his wife.

Police traced the call and, backed up by an army unit, went to the site and arrested him.

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