Slain mining magnate Brett Kebble’s brother, Guy, has called on his killers to ”stand up and be counted” and not act cowardly following the Tuesday-night killing of his brother, whom he described as ”a brilliant man”.
Speaking in an interview on Radio 702/Cape Talk on Wednesday afternoon, Guy said he had gone to the mortuary to see his brother’s body and the police had ”handled that nicely”.
Asked specifically for a message to the killers, Guy said: ”Ag, I don’t know … [my] message to guys who did this … [is] stand up and be counted.”
Brett Kebble’s publicity agent David Barritt said the funeral will likely take place this weekend or early next week in Cape Town. There will also be a private memorial service for the family, but final details will be announced once the police have released the body.
Asked about the motive, former judge Willem Heath — who is a friend of the Kebbles — said the killing points to a hijacking at this stage.
Barritt said the police are focusing on the possibility of a botched hijack.
”They tell me that the area [Atholl-Oaklands in Johannesburg] in which he was shot is a [car] hijack hotspot.”
Kebble (41), known as the ”new Barney Barnato” for the excitement he had injected into Johannesburg’s mining industry, was on his way to the house of his partner, Sello Rasethaba, when he was killed in his BMW at about 9pm on Tuesday evening. He sustained five shots to his body.
”If that is the case, if Brett fell victim to a hijack, then this is another strong reason for the South African Police Service to take hijacking seriously indeed,” said Barritt.
Kebble left behind a wife and four devoted children ”who idealised him”, he said.
Barritt said: ”If it wasn’t a hijacking … we can’t say for sure what happened. There are people much better qualified than we are [to determine] if this had the hallmark of a professional killing. Police must pursue every angle. If it was an assassination, it is no good pretending it was something else.”
Barrit also said Kebble had received threats in the past.
”There were threats against his life. There was a period when he was very concerned about security, but that had passed,” he said. ”Any prominent businessman will have people who are his enemies. Brett was larger than life and when people are like that, they always have enemies. But whether they would kill him I don’t know.
”The security around him was very tight, but in the past year it had relaxed. He had a driver during the day, but at night he would drive himself,” Barritt said.
‘People either like or hate what you do’
The radio stations ran a recent interview with Brett Kebble, who had been asked about his success. He said it was not a question of the wealth ”one may have or may not have. It is a question of what tests … what to go up against. When you do that, people either like that or hate what you do.”
The controversial mining magnate said he had come into prominence in South Africa ”when transformation was taking place politically. It gave us the opportunity to look at the economy and transformation.”
Kebble, who fostered black economic empowerment initiatives and supported the ruling African National Congress Youth League, said he had entered big industries where ”many people and large capital” were employed.
”We tried to change it. That has caused a lot of consternation in certain circles.”
Kebble acknowledged making ”our fair share of mistakes along the way. People do that.”
Heath said he had spoken to Kebble this week and there had been no indication that he was worried about his future.
”He was very positive about his future … there was no indication that he had received any threat.”
Asked if he was angry that his brother’s life had been cut short, Guy Kebble said: ”Obviously I am … so many dinners, so many Christmases, so many things … and we are not going to share it.”
Andile Nkuhlu, who is also a member of the ANC Youth League, was one of a group of people expecting Kebble for dinner on Tuesday night.
”This was pure assassination. There is no doubt about it,” Nkuhlu said on Wednesday. ”I was at the scene. There was no attempt at a robbery. I saw it with my own eyes.
”The truth will come out about what happened to the life of this great South African. This was a callous, premeditated crime.”
Police spokesperson Superintendent Chris Wilken said he cannot give any further details.
”We are looking at the possibility of this being an assassination, but there is no evidence to suggest this so far,” he said. ”We don’t know if he was led into an ambush or if he was followed.”
Nothing was missing from Kebble’s vehicle. — I-Net Bridge, Sapa