/ 30 December 1999

TOY GUN KILLING

AN 11-year-old boy pointed a gun at an armed security guard on Tuesday — and was promptly shot dead.

An Eskom guard at a village in the Northern Province found himself confronted by a realistic-looking gun, and fired back, instantly killing young Elias Matlamela.

Police, investigating a murder charge against the unnmaded security guard, have warned parents to exercise care when buying toys for their children. On Christmas Day, President Nelson Mandela made a point of banning toy guns as presents for his grandchildren.