Bethal cops find explosive components at resident’s house

BETHAL – A 47-year-old man was arrested yesterday and appeared in the Bethal Magistrate’s Court today, 22 July, in connection with the possession of explosive components, illegal firearms and ammunition.
Mr Ockert de Meillon spent the night in the police cells.
Among the items confiscated from Mr De Meillon’s house in Louis Trichardt Street in Bethal, are detonators, a rifle barrel and more than 300 rifle bullets.
Const Thomas Mogadime, spokesman for the Bethal Police, confirmed that the mysterious circumstances around the death of a Piet Retief woman, Ms Rehane Potgieter (55) prompted the police to obtain a warrant to search Mr De Meillon’s premises.
Ms Potgieter is the mother of Mr De Meillon’s fiancée, Ms Rehanie Potgieter.
Ms Potgieter (snr) and her husband, Hendry, were visiting their daughter when she died on 27 June.
According to the police report at the time, the elderly couple were walking in the garden when Mr Potgieter heard a loud noise and then saw his wife collapse. There was blood on the back of her T-shirt.
Mr Potgieter and Mr De Meillon took Ms Potgieter (snr) to Bethal Hospital where she died from 21 small holes to her back.
According to Const Mogadime pellets similar to that of a shotgun’s bullet fragments were retrieved from Ms Potgieter’s body.
Police investigations into her murder continues; no arrests have yet been made.
Mr De Meillon remains in police custody until his next court appearance on Friday, 24 July when he hopes to bring a formal bail application.
Ms Marlene de Villiers presided over proceedings in court. Mr De Meillon indicated that he had once been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for murder and robbery. This previous conviction was imposed by the Springs High Court in 1994.