South Africa : Go and shoot him again
'2007-1-27 12:53
Durban - Legendary tourism personality and Anglo-Zulu War expert David Rattray's killer entered his house and fired a single shot before being ordered to re-enter the building to fire another two rounds, said a source close to the scene.
Sapa heard on Saturday morning that the leader of the gang had ordered the killer to go back inside Rattray's home, close to his Fugitive's Drift Lodge, near Dundee, after the first shot was fired.
Only one of the gang had entered Rattray's home while the others, including the man who appeared to be the leader, stayed outside.
The attackers then fled.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu said nothing appeared to have been taken from the house.
He said the gang had first held up the receptionist at the lodge.
Rattray was instrumental in putting the province's battlefields on the international tourism map.
'Senseless loss of life'
His widow, Nicky, said in a statement on Saturday that South Africa had lost a man who spoke to an international audience about "not only the history of his beloved South Africa but also about the miracle that he saw us living through today".
"Tens of thousands of people from Prince Charles to KwaZulu school children have listened to this unique South African deliver his message of nation building and reconciliation.
"This famous son of South Africa now joins the unacceptable list of citizens who have lost their lives to senseless banditry engulfing us."
Another well-known KwaZulu-Natal historian and raconteur, Kingsley Holgate, said Rattray had been a huge inspiration to him.
"We've lost a true son of Africa - and these people aren't many," he said.
"How tragic that a man who gave his life to preserving the Zulu culture and bravery of the old Zulu order ended his life at the hands of the Zulus.
"There will only be one David Rattray. He's a true icon."
He said Rattray had a way with the people of his area and was well respected.
Royal house shocked
He had also been close to Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.
The head of the royal household department responsible for affairs of the royal house, Dr Vusi Shongwe, said he did not know of Rattray's death as the king was abroad.
"I didn't know, I am shocked, I will wake the king," he said.
According to the Conference Speakers International website, Rattray was born in Johannesburg in 1958.
He completed his schooling at St Alban's College in Pretoria and studied entomology at the University of Natal before managing the Mala Mala Game Reserve.
In 1989, he and his wife, Nicky, moved to his family's farm to start Fugitives' Drift Lodge from where they hosted a constant stream of visitors to the battlefields of Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift.
"His exposure to Zulu oral tradition and his studies of his excellent library have left him uniquely equipped for his vocation as a raconteur, and he has entertained many audiences in South Africa and abroad," read the website.
SAPA
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Cops arrested for theft
2007-1-27 12:50
Johannesburg - Six men including five policemen and police reservists were arrested after the theft of cash and cellphone cards at a Germiston shop during a "search", said Gauteng police on Saturday.