Delving into the past: Advertiser’s January 30, 2004, edition.
Some of the callers even thought these were ‘machine guns’.
This week we look back at the Advertiser’s January 30, 2004, edition.
• Man found dead in a locked house
Corneli Francois Smith’s mother found her son murdered in his home on Monday.
The 45-year-old was discovered in his Olga Road home in Casseldale.
Police believe Smith was attacked the previous evening. An autopsy was held on Tuesday to determine the cause of death.
The authorities have not yet confirmed whether their earlier statement, which implied that Smith may have been killed by being assaulted and possibly suffocated, was correct.
Police spokesperson Supt Andy Pieke said a motive for the killing is yet to be determined.
“There was no forced entry and nothing appears to have been stolen out of his house, where he lived alone,” he said.
Police say the house was locked at the time of the discovery.
Also read: Delving into the past
• ICU after bakkie fall
Dimitry Kaladzis is on a life-support system after jumping off a moving bakkie to retrieve his shoe on Monday morning.
Kaladzis, a Grade Nine learner at Dr Johan Jurgens High School, was sitting on the back of the vehicle as it drove along Wit Road near Springs Tech when his shoe fell off.
The youngster jumped off after it but the vehicle was moving too fast and he was left unconscious with a broken skull.
An eyewitness explained she saw how the car behind the bakkie swerved out of the way to avoid the boy and she then spotted a shoe in the road.
“At first I thought that there had been a cyclist knocked down so I was looking for a bicycle. Then I saw a young boy lying in the street, bleeding from the mouth,” claimed the woman, who chose to remain anonymous.
According to his family, Kaladzis is in the ICU at a local hospital, and by Wednesday his condition had not improved.
• Pellet guns shoot off outcry
The sale of pellet guns on street corners has sparked a major public outcry in the town.
Late last year this newspaper was flooded with calls from concerned residents after a man was spotted selling pellet guns along Ermelo Road.
Some of the callers even thought these were ‘machine guns’.
The newspaper rushed to the scene and found pellet guns. In fact, a group of policemen were there looking at some of the goods on sale.
Also read: Delving into the past
A local arms dealer, who prefers to remain anonymous, said air rifles come in two different sizes.
The larger one, which is known as a number two, is regarded as a dangerous rifle and one needs a licence to carry it.
“As far as I know, pellet guns should not be sold in a non-trading area even though they are not regarded as firearms,” he explained.
Reacting to the sale of pellet guns on the streets, EMPD director Kleinbooi Mahlangu said this issue is not covered in the local authority’s by-laws.
Capt Yogita Naidoo from the Springs police confirmed you do not need a firearm licence to own a pellet gun.
Follow us on our social media platforms:
