“That man was berserk… his face, it was terrible!” These are the words of Marita Hattingh when explaining what happened at the Fountain Corner shopping centre in Middelburg yesterday.

Several shops sustained fire damage after a fellow shop owner reportedly went on the rampage, allegedly because of an old feud over disabled parking.

The man said to be responsible for the violence is Willie Bester, who owned the shop Horlosie Kliniek/Clock Services. While Bester died during the incident, no one else suffered burn or bullet injuries.

According to Hattingh, who has been the owner of Azalea Bloemiste for more than 40 years, Bester aimed his firearm at her face and threatened to kill her.

“I just kept begging him that he shouldn’t shoot me, over and over I pleaded: ‘Please, don’t shoot me’!”

Hattingh says at that moment she just froze and ‘didn’t think of anyone or anything; I was blank’.

She says when Bester pointed the firearm at her, he snarled: “Today I am going to shoot you dead!”

What transpired

Before Bester entered the florist, it is said that he threw two petrol bombs at another tenant, Kappie Kapp, as well as one at Kapp’s wife Judy-May.

This allegedly happened inside their shop Jud’sies, where Bester is said to have fired at least six shots, before fleeing the store.

As Bester left Jud’sies, he reportedly fired shots at his brother-in-law, Willie Pretorius, who also owns a shop in the centre, and at dental assistant Monique Albasini. She says she approached Bester and asked if she could help him. Without saying a word, Bester pointed his weapon at her and fired a shot, Albasini says.

“The bullet narrowly missed my thigh. I could feel it shoot past me.”

Albasini says she then ran to the shop next door and asked the staff there to call the police.

After the brief exchange with Hattingh in her shop, Bester left the florist and went to his vehicle, which was parked in the parking lot. The vehicle was then reportedly set on fire with a petrol bomb, before Bester entered his own shop and allegedly also set it on fire.

Bester’s charred body was removed from his shop late last night and forensic tests will determine whether he shot himself or died in the fire.

Fuel to the fire?

Middelburg Observer reports that a feud over a disabled parking bay, which has been ongoing for a long time, might have sparked the incident.

Bester reportedly bemoaned the unlawful use of the said parking spot.

The owners of the building designated other parking for the disabled, but Bester claimed it was not sufficient.

Tenants in the centre were allegedly so harassed that the owners of Jud’sies obtained a protection order against Bester. The feud over the disabled parking was never resolved.

Shops damaged

Jud’sies was severely damaged in the petrol bombing, while Azalea Bloemiste and dentist Rassie Erasmus’ consulting rooms, both next to the Horlosie Kliniek, suffered smoke damage.

Attempts to get comment from local police went unanswered by the time of publication.