Sorrow over murdered man
"I yelled 'What happened, Buksie?', but he didn't respond."
The residents of Beyers Street are both saddened and angered at the murder of their 83-year-old neighbour, Leon Pistorius. Those who knew him were fond of calling him ‘oom Buks’.
“Buks was a religious man,” said Johan Bezhuidenhout, a lodger in Buks’ yard. “He used to tell great religious tales to anyone he came across.”
The walls of Buks’ house reflected his incredible spiritual sense as they all have scriptures painted in bright colours on them. The messages are written in Afrikaans and translate as: “Jesus is coming, are you ready?”
His neighbours described him as a warm-hearted fellow who always provided refuge to youngsters who needed a place to stay for short periods of time.
It is believed Buks had been a widower for more than four years after his wife passed away.
“He cried about her frequently,” said Babe Smidt, his neighbour across the street. “We gave him a plate of supper every night for the last few years.”
Smidt said it bothers her that he was murdered in his house. She says he was a very careful man. “Buks used to lock his gate at 6pm every single night. If we didn’t take the plate of food to him before that time, we wouldn’t be able to enter the yard and would have to return the following day.”
Pistorius was allegedly stabbed in the early hours of Wednesday, 14 September. Bezuidenhout allegedly found him bleeding in his bed. “Oom Buks was badly injured,” he said.
Emergency services personnel arrived moments later to stabilise him and loaded him into an ambulance, but oom Buks allegedly died en route to hospital.
“I saw him just before he was loaded into the ambulance,” Smidt said. “He didn’t have a shirt on and he was bleeding profusely. I yelled ‘What happened, Buksie?’, but he didn’t respond. That was the last I saw of that great man.”
“You don’t get that kind of man anymore. I have never known a better spirited or caring man.”
Oom Buksie’s funeral will take place on Friday, 23 September at 10am at the EG Kerk in Quellerie Park.
The Krugersdorp Police are investigating a case of murder. Anyone with information that might assist in the identification and arrest of the suspect(s) involved can call them on 011 951 1151, or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
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