Family seeks witnesses to murder on R59 after fake roadblock
Did you witness this incident or has something similar happened to you?
The family of Thomas Kleinschmidt is desperately seeking answers after he was shot and killed last year.
Kleinschmidt was on duty as an armed escort for a company, on December 21, last year.
While en route on the R59 highway, at the Swartkoppies on-ramp, the truck was stopped by about eight police officers (dressed in full uniform and armed with weapons and marked police vehicles).
The truck driver was instructed to get out of the vehicle, as the police were inspecting the licence disc of the vehicle.
Kleinschmidt kept his distance but eventually moved closer when he realised it was a police roadblock.
He was confronted by two “policemen” who asked him why he had stopped as they wanted the truck to stop.
After he explained that he was an armed escort for the vehicle, he was asked to produce his permits and licence for verification.
He was then asked to get out of his vehicle and he was moved to the back of his vehicle.
No force or violence was present at the time.
According to a witness, a single shot was heard.
The witnesses were forced into Kleinschmidt’s vehicle and told to lie still and not move.
The truck driver was forced into a police vehicle and dropped off in an open veld.
“With our own investigation, it was established that Kleinschmidt’s vehicle was moved off the highway and parked with the two witnesses inside it.
“The truck was moved to the next off-ramp at Klipriver Road in Brackendowns and abandoned,” said Kobus Meyer, a private investigator and ex-police officer who is assisting the family.
“All Kleinschmidt’s personal goods and a rifle were left inside his vehicle.
“The cargo on the truck was not touched and left, locked up in the truck.”
Meyer added that upon further investigation, Kleinschmidt’s body was found to have been dragged from where he was shot to a bush under a tree where it was hidden.
No cartridge was found within a radius of 100m of the crime scene.
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“With further investigation, a witness was traced, who confirmed that he had passed the same ‘roadblock’ a minute before the incident.
“This witness also confirmed that these police members were officers in full uniform with bullet proof vests (marked in white with the word police).
“From my experience as a private investigator and ex-policeman, it is clear that this was a planned crime that went wrong when Kleinschmidt was shot and killed,” said Meyer.
“It’s clear that the crime scene was cleaned up by moving Kleinschmidt’s body to a secluded spot, picking up the cartridge and moving the vehicles away and abandoning them (without taking any bait).
“Only a pistol and cellphones were taken.”
Currently, the case is under investigation at the Brackendowns Police Station.
“In respect of the above, we trust that the police have done all in their power to solve this case, but have reached a dead end.
“We are now relying on other similar incidents to expose this syndicate through similar modi operandi and hopefully valuable information or witnesses will come forward and assist,” said Meyer.
Anyone with information or who has experienced a similar incident with the same modus operandi, on the R59 highway or surrounds, can contact Meyer on 083 789 9990 or email to kobusmeyer@pandcservices.co.za.
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