A cartridge casing only found now in the driveway of a Kempton Park West resident, who was shot and killed in December, is not enough new evidence for the police to reopen their investigation.
The only witness to the attempted hijacking during which Clint Douglas Castlemaine (45) was killed, has disappeared.
His son, Charn, and his wife, Cherise, found the casing in the front yard when they were cleaning up in preparation for a friend to move into the house on May 21.
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Castlemaine was shot twice in his upper body during the attempted hijacking in his driveway between 11pm and midnight on December 21. The incident happened when he and a friend, only identified as Tebogo, drove into the yard.
The woman called an ambulance and Castlemaine was taken to Arwyp, where he died of internal bleeding at around 2am.
“We got no assistance from Sebenza SAPS officers who were at the hospital to take a statement,” said Charn. ”A case of murder was opened but they never went back to the house to investigate any further.
”After we have found the casing, I spoke to the investigating officer to come and collect it and reopen the case, but no one showed up. They keep saying that no one is there to open for them. We have given them the tenant’s telephone number but we are still waiting.”
According to Sebenza SAPS spokesperson, Sgt Sharon Tsotsotso, the woman who was with Castlemaine gave a brief statement to police at the hospital and then disappeared. “We only have a contact number for her and when we phoned her to come back for a full statement and to take us to the scene, she made excuses.”
”Later we couldn’t get hold of her anymore. We only have her contact details and when we tried to go to the house on numerous times, there was no one and it was locked.
”We could no longer go on leads. We need that woman to come in and explain what and who she saw. We tried for months to get hold of her. We are more than willing to help reopen the case if the family comes in and presents the newly found evidence.”
Castlemaine was a technician at Coca-Cola Canners in Wadeville and was cremated in January, followed by a memorial service for family and friends in Sasolburg, where his parents stay.
