Carel Johannes Delport

Carel Johannes Delport is a South African mass murderer who killed nine people and wounded 19 others in the Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal area on January 20, 1992. Delport was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 39 years in prison.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Carel Johannes Delport
Born
Carel Johannes Delport

ca. 1956
Details
DateJanuary 20, 1992
Location(s)Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Killed9
Injured19
WeaponsRuger Mini-14
.357 Magnum revolver

Life

Carel Johannes Delport was born in 1956 and known by his nickname, "Kallie", and as a child suffered from meningitis.[7] Delport was declared unfit for military service for unknown reasons, and instead worked on the farm of his father, Marthiens Delport, earning 300 South African Rand a month. The farm was located in Allerkraal, a place outside of the city of Ladysmith. Delport reportedly had a history of mental illness and was twice charged with and acquitted of manslaughter after shooting two cattle thieves. His family had repeatedly asked his father to not allow him to own any firearms, but he declined their requests. Delport had 13 licensed firearms at the time of the shooting and was frequently asked by locals to participate in wildlife culling, because he was considered one of the best marksmen in the area.[8][9]

According to an examination conducted after the shooting, Delport had an IQ of 78 and was suffering from borderline personality disorder.[10]

Family

Delport had his father Marthiens, a brother named Willem, and a stepmother Eleonora. Delport had called his father a "hard and ruthless man" and accused of "casting him from his rightful place" when Marthiens had adopted a black boy two months prior to the shooting.[9] Marthiens Delport had fathered an illegitimate daughter with a black woman, and once raped a 16-year-old relative, who afterwards unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide.[10] Delport also had constant disputes with his stepmother, who struggled to tolerate his presence on the farm and wanted him to leave. According to Delport, his father often said that he was stupid and belonged in a mental institution, and was also not allowed to eat together with his father and stepmother at the table, instead had to have his meals outside the house.[11][12]

Shooting

The shooting began at the farm in Allerkraal after Delport had an argument with his father about the sale of three calves, and when his father showed him the money he had just received, commenting that he would give it to his stepmother, Delport armed himself with a .357 Magnum revolver.[7] Delport killed his father with a shot to the chest on the veranda, then attempted to help him but he was already dead.[11] Delport next shot the farm's housemaid, Makhozana Alzina Ntombela, in the kitchen and set fire to the mattress in his room and his car, which eventually caused the house to burn down. Outside, about 750 metres from the farm, Delport killed Msamaniso Mdladla and Petros Ndlala, the two black men who had come to buy the calves, and then drove to his stepmother's home in Ladysmith to set her car on fire, but when he failed to find it, he began shooting randomly at people in the street with a Ruger Mini-14.

Delport continued shooting at the parking lot of a shopping centre, killing a total of five people, including traffic officer Prithlal Rambally, who was hit three times, and wounding 11 more.[13] When police arrived at the scene he sped away in his truck towards Newcastle and shot at commuters in a bus, wounding six of them. Delport was eventually arrested on a road outside of Ladysmith, after a short chase and a shootout with police, in which two officers were wounded. Besides the rifle, police recovered four 30-round magazines, the .357 Magnum revolver and more than 3,600 rounds of ammunition from Delport's truck.[9][10] Most of his victims were killed with shots to the heart.[7]

Victims

Those killed were:[13]

  • Marthiens Delport, 68, Delport's father
  • Makhozana Alzina Ntombela, 40, housemaid at the Delport farm
  • Msamaniso Mdladla, killed at the farm
  • Petros Ndlala, killed at the farm
  • Melusi Obed Zwane
  • Mohamed Faruk Laka
  • Enock Lucky Nyatahi
  • Patrick Mbongeni Gumede
  • Prithlal Rambally, 28, traffic officer

Aftermath

Most of Delport's victims were black, causing racial tensions to be increased in the area, and during his trial a crowd gathered outside the court and threatened to lynch him.[14][15]

On March 4 the trial was postponed to March 18 for a two-week-long psychiatric examination of the gunman.[16] Dr. Anthony Dunn, chief psychiatrist at the Midlands Hospital, argued that Delport was not mentally ill during the shooting, but due to his low IQ, his inability to cope with stress, and his hatred against his father he was of partially unsound mind and lost all self-control.[7] Prosecution accepted his mental incapacity, low intelligence and emotional imbalance to be mitigating factors and refrained from demanding capital punishment, instead asking for a long-term prison sentence during which Delport should receive psychological help.[17]

Delport pleaded not guilty, claiming that he was of unsound mind during the shooting and fired at black shapes that were attacking him.[10] On October 21 he was found guilty after changing his plea, and on October 29 he was sentenced to a total of 39 years in prison, among them 22 years for nine counts of murder, and 12 years for 21 counts of attempted murder. The sentences run concurrently, meaning that he will be released after 22 years.[18] Delport was also declared unfit to ever be able to obtain a firearms license.[19]

See also

References
  1. Berserk gunman kills nine, wounds 10, New Straits Times (January 21, 1992)
  2. Man on rampage leaves 9 dead, St. Paul Pioneer Press (January 21, 1992)
  3. Killings blamed on price dispute, Spokane Chronicle (January 21, 1992)
  4. South African held in 9 slayings, The Press-Courier (January 21, 1992)
  5. Man on ramaage kills at least nine, Spokane Chronicle (January 20, 1992)
  6. Assailant slays nine in rampage, Eugene Register-Guard (January 21, 1992)
  7. Slagter Delport skuldig bevind aan massa-moord Die meeste slagoffers het dodelik akkurate hartskote gehad Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (October 22, 1992)
  8. Mass killing caused by dispute over price of cattle, Associated Press (January 21, 1992)
  9. Uur van waansin 9 sterf in koeëlreën, 18 gewond op Ladysmith Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (January 21, 1992)
  10. Ek is jammer, sê Kallie en stort in hof ineen Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (October 20, 1992)
  11. Kallie moes sy kos op vuur buite huis kook Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (January 25, 1992)
  12. Twee gesigte van 'n jong verdagte Vriende praat uit ná Ladysmith-slagting Stil, saggeaard, 'maar glo nie die eerste keer dat hy na wapen gryp' Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (January 22, 1992)
  13. 'Slagting' hof hoor Kallie was 'emosioneel belaai' Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (October 16, 1992)
  14. Slagting: Kallie in hof en SAP vrees glo vir sy lewe Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (January 23, 1992)
  15. Woedende skare voor Ladysmith-hof Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (January 25, 1992)
  16. Kallie Delport se verhoor uitgestel Archived January 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (March 5, 1992)
  17. Ook staat vra dat Slagter van Ladysmith nie hang Archived January 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (October 23, 1992)
  18. Rocky Mountain News (October 29, 1992)
  19. Die Slagter van Ladysmith moet 22 jaar sit Sy lae IK, pa se provokasie en gedeeltelike ontoerekeningsvatbaarheid was versagtend Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Beeld (October 29, 1992)
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