FF Plus condemns famous rock climber’s murder in Mpumalanga

The FF Plus has condemned the killing of famous rock climber David Wade on an adventure farm outside Waterval-Boven in Mpumalanga and expressed the party’s condolences to his next of kin.

Wade was shot and killed on Saturday afternoon during an armed robbery as he tried to help security guards who were tied up.

The FF Plus expressed its deepest condolences to Wade’s next of kin. The climber was a resident of Benoni in Gauteng where he lived and worked, and was visiting the farm when the incident happened.

According to FF+ Mpumalanga provincial leader, Werner Weber, Wade tried valiantly to assist the security guards who were beaten and tied up before he was shot in the process. “He paid for his courageous actions with his life,” Weber said.

“The FF Plus recently spoke out against the unacceptably high crime rate in Mpumalanga and it is a pity that Mr Wade became part of that statistic as he tried to help prevent an attempted robbery on an adventure farm. The FF Plus will continue to fight to force the government to act against crime in the province and elsewhere in the country, and will assist the police in any way possible to arrest the culprits. Any murder in our country is one murder too many,” Weber said.

At the weekend Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, reported that the attack occurred at Tranquilitas Adventure farm on Saturday evening while Wade was visiting the camp. He sprang into action when he heard screams from the security guards calling for help in what turned out to be a hold-up by armed men.

“According to his wife, he went to investigate and that is when he was shot. Although police arrived immediately after the incident with their dogs, they could not trace the suspects as it was raining,” said Hlathi.

He said the attackers were still at large.

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