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- A Stuijt
- Retired South African medical journalist, ex-Sunday Times of Johannesburg.
Monday, 8 August 2011
Hermanus hitmen of Hannes Kleynhans jailed
12:22 | 
Posted by
A Stuijt |
Leading Afrikaner businessman Hannes Kleynhans, 66, wealthy founder-owner of gemstone-mines in Namibia, owner of large real-estates in Hermanus, chairman of Hermanus Golf Club, was murdered execution-style at his Fernkloof smallholding in April 2009. Last month, his killers were jailed: - two of these black men seemed untouchable after they were acquitted in April 2007 of murdering US visitor Perry Page.21 Jul 2011 Hermanus - Det-warrant-officer David Payne had to drive from Hermanus to Cape Town nearly every day to fight the case in the High Court – but has now managed to get the four black murderers of local businessman Hannes Kleynhans, the president of the Hermanus Golf Club behind bars for a very, very long time…
Kleynhans hailed from Oranjemund in Namibia– where he started trading in diamonds and semi-precious stones after briefly working in the local post office. He worked the semi-precious stones himself as the owner of the "Tiger Eye" in Hermanus, and "The Crystal Gallery" in Swakopmund, amassed a fortune which he invested in real-estate. He had his own mines in Lüderitzbucht and Kunenemund. Mr Kleynhans was a much-liked community leader, was president of the Hermanus Golf Club. He also invested in the controversial Schulphoek Point development site in Hermanus. Because of these extensive mining-business connections, many questions were raised about his death being more than just another ordinary armed robbery; and rumours were rife that this specific robber-gang were also known for their kill-for-hire skills. None of these questions were raised in their Cape Town High Court trial, however. He left behind his widow Jeanette, sons Marius, Hannes and Dewald, and daughter Minette.
The Hermanus acting station commander, Lt-col F de Wet, and branch-commander Lt-col Brink, heartily congratulated Payne for his relentless work to get life-imprisonment convictions for the powerful Afrikaner businessman’s four black killers - Thembalethu Kameni, (24) Vuyisani Mfundeni , (33) Xolani Ndumo and (24) Mawanda Mabenu. They gunned down Kleynhans during an execution-‘armed-robbery’ which many informed Hermanus residents believed was a ‘hit’ of the powerful jewellery-and real-estate business owner Hannes Kleynhans.Hardworking det-w/o David Payne put the killers of Hermanus businessman Hannes Kleynhans in April 2009 behind bars for a long, long time…
The Hermanus acting station commander, Lt-col F de Wet, and branch-commander Lt-col Brink, heartily congratulated Payne, for his relentless work to get life-imprisonment convictions for Thembalethu Kameni, (24) Vuyisani Mfundeni , (33) Xolani Ndumo and (24) Mawanda Mabenu for the execution-style murder of local jewellery-business owner Hannes Kleynhans, 66.
Two suspects also acquitted for murder of US resident Perry Page in April 2007:
The local community watched all these police-attempts to get the four murderers tried and convicted with argus eyes. For instance, the Hermanus Ratepayers Association newsletter noted in September 2009 that while the ‘congratulated the police on the arrest of suspects for the murder of Mr. Hannes Kleynhans, were are incensed that two of the five suspects were acquitted for the murder of Mr. Perry Page in April 2007. Our hearts go out to the family who must be battling to make sense of it.’ They also noted that there was a huge influx of migrants into the Overstrand region. “We must all be more vigilant and security conscious. The good old days of leaving gates, doors and windows wide open are gone. We have to become extra cautious and take more responsibility for our own safety. One often hears that people proudly claim that they feel so secure in these beautiful surroundings that they do not bother with security - we urge you to change this mindset. Members must report any suspicious looking persons to the SAPS but their resources are stretched and we need to help them by making ourselves as secure as we can.”
It wasn’t made easy for Payne to get this black killer-gang convicted: in Nov 2009, two of the arrested murderers, Thembalethu Kameni and Vuyisani Mfundeni, staged a mass-escape with fellow-prisoners through the roof of the prison-van taking them to Caledon prison. Kameni and Mfundeni then calmly continued their criminal career in Rustenburg: where they were re-arrested in May 2010 during an armed robbery and hijacking of yet another of their many white victims. The two men were chased down by Payne through the central fingerprint-register after the two murderers had given the Rustenburg police false names. He had them arraigned for Kleynhans’ murder in the Cape High Court. In March 2011 one suspect, Xolani Ndumo pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 20 years prison instead of life. The other four were found guilty and sentenced to long prison sentences by the Cape High Court on 29 July 2011.Vuyisani Mfundeni still faces charge of armed robbery at York Cash & Carry, Hermanus:
Vuyisani Mfundeni is also still faces pending charges in Hermanus where he was involved in an armed robbery at the York Cash & Carry. He will appear on these charges soon at the Somerset West Regional Court.
Payne’s commanding officers said ‘these convictions for the murder of Mr Kleynhans were the result of perseverance and hard work by det-WO David Payne with the support of his colleagues at Hermanus Detective Branch and his family: he had to travel nearly daily from Hermanus to Cape Town ever since the case was transferred to the High Court.”
SAPS Good News Source: constable MA. Mazuthu, tel (028) 3138535, cell 0823028673 email: HERMANUS-SAPS@saps.org.za
http://www.sapsjournalonline.gov.za/dynamic/journal_dynamic.aspx?pageid=414&jid=26850
http://www.az.com.na/lokales/hannes-kleynhans-ist-tot.84187.php
http://www.ratepayers.co.za/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=82
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