Mortar bomb through Brakpan house roof injured Felicia Klopper 20: - report by Brad Mulder, SAPA. Johannesburg - An SANDF unit could possibly have fired the mortar shell that crashed into a house in Brakpan, on the East Rand and injured 20-year-old Felicia Klopper while she was seated on her bed, drying her hair.
Army spokeswoman Xolani Mabanga said on Monday: "We are still verifying pieces of information we have which suggest that one of the SA National Defence Force units was involved," Investigating police officers said on Sunday that the 20-year-old woman was injured (cracked skull, concussion) when the mortar shell crashed through the roof of her parental home on Saturday at 11h00am.
On Saturday and Sunday, she reportedly still was in a 'critical but stable condition" and still unconscious in Lynnwood hospital in Benoni. By Monday her mother reported that she had regained consciousness but still suffered severe pain and nausea.
Ms Klopper suffered a cracked skull and shoulder injuries when the mortar shell hit her head. Kabelo Marumo mouthpiece for the SA Police Service, said on Monday that police were investigating.
"We will provide an update as soon as we get more information," he said.
The woman's home was near the Apex Military Base in Dalview, Brakpan. The mortar carried a serial number through which its ownership can be established.
Mabanga said mortars were used by the military, and its operations were normally conducted by more than one person. "During peace time it is something we use in training, or for the purposes of demonstration, but not within a residential area."
He said the military used training areas or a shooting range to do demonstrations.The maximum range of this type of mortar was 2.5km, he said.
SAPA http://www.sapa.org.za
The mother Annelie told the Afrikaans news media that her daughter was sitting on her bed drying her hair. Her friend Michelle Fouché witnessed the impact of the mortar:
"It was terrible. I was taking my clothes from the closet and suddenly there was one hell of an explosion. I turned around and saw Felicia lying on the bed. Her whole body was shaking. Blood was streaming from her head. We just tried to keep her awake'. she said.
Felicia said on Monday she didn't know what hit her. "It was 11am and I was sitting on the edge of my bed. Then I suddenly felt this terrible pain in my head. I called for help. My whole body got 'pins and needles' and then I don't remember anymore.'
"I was gone." Felicia is at the Glynnwood Hospital in Benoni with 15 stitches to the back of her skill and a bruised shoulder blade. I feel nausea,' she said. She and her girlfriend wanted to go and see the movie ": A Million Ways to Die' that day, she added...
Her mom Annelie said the doctors 'couldnt believe us at first. My child could have been killed."
The mother was in her bedroom when she heard the impact. "The whole house shook. Suddenly my child shouted: "Help it hurts, my head is hurting'. I rush to her bedroom and find her on her back on her bed.
Her entire body was shaking and I thought she'd had an (electric) shock.
The police bomb exposal unit arrived to remove the missile. Annelie said the police was unable to determine as yet who had fired it and where it had been fired from.
"There's a military base near us. The police went and fetched two top military officers but they claimed the mortar 'didn't belong to them'.
Felicia 's dad Rudi said the family wants to initiate a criminal case against the defence force. "Who else could have fired it, somebody must be held responsible, something like this isn't allowed to happen.
We are going to wage a little warfare,' he said.
Police captain Disebo Selepe confirmed that they didn't know where the mortar was fired from. "That person who fired it must be held responsible and if the community knows anything they must come forward.
This is a very serious situation'.
Felicia Klopper was struck by a 60-mm military lighting mortar a military weapon which the public cannot get their hands on, said
military expert Helmoed-Römer Heitman. Both the mortars and mortar-bombs - i.e. the weapon and the ammunition - are kept locked at weapons arsenals and is only issued with orders,' he said.
This specific bomb is an illumination bomb which reaches a height of about 2000 metres and drops an illumination flare with a small parachute. It flares for about 30 seconds.
It is fired with a mortar-pipe. It does not explode but can cause ugly burn-wounds. The Illumination flare in this case was no longer inside the bomb so it must have fallen out somewhere.'
SANDF spokesman brig-genl Xolani Mabanga claimed that they were 'unaware of the incident". We will investigate. It's illegal for civilians to own such mortars'.
It's only used during training and fired in an open field well away from homes.'
https://www.facebook.com/boerekrisisaksie/photos/a.178568022169751.48293.116298045063416/967794539913758/?type=1&theater
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SouthAfrica military's Disebo Selepe mystified about #mortar hit on Brakpan home; injuring Felicia Klopper 20 reports Maroela Media. Even though the SANDF just happened to have a recruitment stand near the home of the Klopper family on Friday and Saturday. The missile came flying through the roof of the Klopper home at 11am September 27 2014, Saturday just as Felicia was drying her hair, seated on the bed. She was planning to go out with a girl friend. The community's annual fundraiser, the Pannefees, was being held on Friday and Saturday and the SANDF had a display stand there with military equipment. Felicia sustained a cracked skull and was rushed unconscious and clearly concussed to the Lynnwood Hospital on Saturday. Her mother told Maroela Media on Monday morning that she has regained consciousness and was 'aware of her surroundings' but is in a great deal of pain and suffering from nausea. If she continues to improve however she could probably be discharged from hospital by Wednesday, the mother said. Meanwhile the defence force spokesman confirmed that they are 'checking the serial number of the mortar to find out who it belonged to. He urged members of the public who 'may have seen anything to explain this' to contact the SAPS emergency number. The SANDF 's is also investigating this. Meanwhile it remains unclear what kind of mortar bomb it may have been. There was no indication in all the reports about the incident that the missile had exploded. It apparently hit Ms Klopper on her head and fell on her bed.
http://www.maroelamedia.co.za
Maroela Media: pic.twitter.com/Lbn8YUl5P5
SouthAfrica Brakpan young woman injured, rushed to hospital after a mortar crashed through a roof in a residential area and struck the owner's daughter on the head. (No media interest) We are awaiting further details. pic.twitter.com/64nbEgdHk1
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