HECTORSPRUIT – One of Mr Leon Clur’s murderers was a notorious criminal who had served jail time for burglary. He had been wanted for armed robbery and five more burglaries when he was killed on Sunday night, hours after he had murdered Clur.
Ernesto Silawule was a Mozambican national in his early 30s. He and his accomplice were killed after pointing a firearm at a police official. The police had no doubt that Silawule was responsible for the attack on the deceased’s family since Clur’s shotgun was found on him.
Lowvelder reported on Tuesday about the senseless shooting of Clur which his wife, Ms Marli Clur (37) had to witness. Although now left without a father, their two small children of four and seven years, fortunately didn’t see this.
The newspaper spoke to Mr Nico Matthee, Marli’s brother. He contradicted some of the facts in Tuesday’s report, as it was provided by police. “Clur wasn’t shot in the back of the head, but from the front,” he said.
He added that the Clur couple had just finished braaiing in their lapa and were dishing up when two suspects jumped over the wall and indicated to them to keep quiet. Leon ensued in a struggle with one of them. Their seven-year-old son ran to his four-year-old sister who was in a room in the house, shortly before their father was shot. Marli, however, had to stand by helplessly and watch the horror unfold.
“She asked them what they wanted and they accompanied her to the safe inside the house. They took a shotgun from it, as well as two laptops, two cellphones and a wallet,” said Matthee. The robbers fled on foot and Marli pushed the panic button. They were clients of Securicon and its officials responded to the scene. Its ambulance rushed Leon to Mediclinic Nelspruit where he was declared brain dead the following day at 09:00.
In the meantime, policemen and farmers in the area were in hot pursuit of the suspects. Their search would last six hours before they came across Silawule and his accomplice at the railway line under the bridge at the Marloth Park crossing. An SAPS official ordered them to stop, but they pointed Leon’s shotgun at him upon which the police and farmers who had assisted in the search, opened fire. Silawule and his accomplice, whose particulars police are still trying to establish at this stage, were killed.
Provincial police spokesman Sgt Gerald Sidebe confirmed the notorious crimimal’s previous convictions and said he had been wanted in connection with five burglaries and one armed robbery that occurred in the Malalane area last year.
Leon was a manager at Truck Africa. Marli told Lowvelder on Tuesday, “I feel I can cope and make all the arrangements needed, but sometimes it all changes into deep sadness. It is not going to change anything, but there is some comfort in knowing that these people are no longer among us.”
Leon’s memorial service will take place at Malalane’s NG Kerk today (Friday) at 11:00.
