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Hermanus
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Issue 12
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Our town weeps The Overstrand community expressed its shock and outrage over the senseless killing of two residents in the early hours of Sunday morning in Hawston. Acting SAPS Station Commander for Hermanus Lt. Col. Rounita Burgess (48), her daughter, Randy (18), Rudi Salo (45), Lyndon Julies and another girl were traveling in a car when a gunman opened fire. Randy and Rudi were killed instantly while Rounita and Lyndon were wounded. The other passenger was not injured. The incident took place near a campsite where a bikers’ rally was taking place. Roulita took over as acting Station Commander in December last year. Randy, who recently matriculated from Hawston Secondary School, would have cele-brated her 19th birthday on 26 February with her twin sister, Ray. According to a police statement a 26-year old man was arrested at approximately 06:30 on Sunday morning and is expected to appear in court on charges of murder and attempted murder. He is known to the Burgess family. After the shooting Lyndon was able to race his car to the Hermanus Hospital where he and Rounita were admitted. Rounita was later transferred to a hospital in Cape Town where she is still fighting
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Skydiving to the tip of Africa
for her life. Social media pages were on Sunday overflowing with messages of sympathy for the families of the deceased. Kay-lee Burgess (22), Rounita’s older daughter, wrote on her mother’s Facebook wall “No words can describe how sore we are. RIP my loving sis, we miss you already… and mammy just hang in there, God is in control.” Larenzo Isaacs, a close friend, wrote: “Our deepest condolences to the Burgess and Salo families. This is surely a black Sunday for our community... May God comfort all affected by the untimely deaths and loss of these beautiful souls... Our family are praying for u all.” “Sad day. No child should die like this and no parent should lose a child like this,” wrote Lara Pienaar. Other comments were: • Nikita Adams: “RIP Randy Burgess may the angels be with u on your journey... You will be missed... Cape Town is praying for your mother and you, you beautiful soul.” • Jessy Hendricks: “God took one of His most beautiful flowers.” • Allison Poole: “Words can't describe how or what I'm feeling... RIP Randy... dear Lord I pray for your healing hands over oumies's life.” • Wendy Clarke: “So terribly sad that things like this happen.”
Picture: Will Penny. The photo was taken at an altitude of 9 000 ft. On the 4th of February two skydivers jumped from an altitude of 11 000 ft and landed on the geographical southern-most point of the African continent, Cape Agulhas. Will Penny, South Africanborn World Champion
Skydiver and Graham Field successfully performed this high profile demo jump and made it into the history books as the first two people ever to achieve this stunt. Over the past two years Will Penny and his skydiving partner Allegra Nasi have
traveled the globe looking for the most breathtaking locations to skydive over. The Penny family have a long history in this region and have been holidaying in Waenhuiskrans for three generations, so it seemed a natural choice of location as part of their world tour.
As the conditions in this area are tricky due to high winds and technical landings, only Will and Graham opted to jump over the southern-most tip and landed just centimeters away from the famous sign that indicates the merging of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Editorial comment: More than just another tragic killing Although The Hermanus News is dedicated to bringing you the good news about our region and its residents, an incident as serious as the killing and wounding of four people cannot be ignored, especially when one of the victims is a police officer. Hermanus has its fair share of crime but we are, to a large extent, spared the gruesomeness and violence of crime that is rampant in other parts of the country. But senseless killings, armed robberies, attacks that cause grievous bodily harm, stabbings, theft and poaching in our community are more than just fodder for sensationalist newspaper headlines. It is a cancer that eats away at the very substance of our community. Incidents of crime have an impact on every resident in our
region. It corrodes our image as a safe and appealing destination, it leaves our residents and visitors in fear and it impedes our economic growth. We appeal to all residents, every law enforcement agency and the local authorities to find common ground to work together. No longer can we turn a blind eye to any crime. We cannot afford to ignore the impact of poaching, attacks on our cliff paths or even people openly flaunting even the most basic of bylaws. With the available resources we have, including a municipal court, we need to stop crime in all its forms and guises. We mourn the loss of Randy and Rudi and extend our condolences to their family and friends. - ED
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