SOUTH AFRICA: Brits Guesthouse Owner Shot In The Chest, Injuring His Lungs And Ribs

The owner of a guesthouse in Brits was shot in the early morning hours on Tuesday when he surprised robbers.

Riaan Venter (50) was shot in the chest shortly after 02:00 when he went to investigate noises his daughter had heard.

According North West police spokesperson, Lt Col Amanda Funani, an unknown number of armed robbers tried to get into the guesthouse and Venter was shot when he went to see what was going on.

According to information Venter’s daughter alerted her parents about a noise at the front door.

Her father opened a side door to investigate and one of the robbers shot him in the chest.

The bullet penetrated his ribs and lung. The robbers fled.

Venter was taken to a hospital in Brits and was later transferred to the Millpark Hospital for specialist treatment. His condition is stable.

The police are investigating a case of armed robbery.

Meanwhile, there has been an outcry after monkey shot and killed with pellet gun

The death of a monkey that was shot and killed with a pellet gun on a golfing estate in Hartbeespoort, caused an outcry on social media countrywide.

The monkey was picked up on the lawn of the estate on Monday and rushed to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.

She was riddled with pellet bullets and one of the bullets had shattered her jaw. Her wounds were severely infected and full of maggots.

Animal welfare organisations and animal lovers expressed their disgust on social media this week and the photos and posts were shared countrywide.

We have a question to ask. Why do people want to live in an area surrounded by mountains and indigenous vegetation when they cannot tolerate the presence of wildlife?

They pay millions to be in nature but still, they destroy it, one of the organisations posted on its Facebook page.

Another posted: Died despite the heroic efforts of the vet team at Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.

We found her lying under a tree on a beautifully manicured lawn at a golfing estate yesterday.

She was riddled with pellets. She must have suffered immensely. There was no need for this.

When you live in a wildlife paradise you should surely adjust your life just a tiny bit to co-exist peacefully with the animals who lived there first?

But that seems to be an impossible task for some.

Shooting a pellet gun in an urban area is illegal and suspects can be prosecuted.

The community is requested to report such shootings to the closest police station, said Romano van der Spuy, chairman of the Hartbeespoort Community Policing Forum.


Tourism Observer