The Green Spot

[Skyler Fields]

Wasn't there also a Serena Van Eeden ? What ever happened to her?
I used to date Ryan van eden, it was his brother that murdered someone in the late 70's and it was a guy he murdered and they said it was because he was gay ... as the story goes Ryan's brother picked this unsesecpecting 'victim' up at the Sports Bar and had no idea that they guy he was drinking was was in fact gay anyway, they went back to Ryans Brother's "single quaters" ( i have forgotten which brother it was) and apparently it was a "come on" gone wrong, the victim realised too late what was happening, he was knifed ( preety seriously I am led to believe) to death over his entire body, wrapped up in a rug and dumped at the Green Spot.  Ryans brother was sentenced to time in Jail and ended up stabbing a security guard (apparently) and got no parole ... the rest is history.

The Els boy was apparently in love with the wife of his victim.  He worked at their video shop and had been asked to leave for various reasons, his father asked that he be given a second chance which he was and upon their return home from a holiday apparently written in lipstick on a mirror where the words I am going to kill you.  Security was called and the locks where changed but apparently he was hiding under the bed all the time, crept out and stabbed the husband a few times.  the wife was stabbed as well and one of the reasons she wasn't seriously hurt (so they say) was because he was in love with her.

He asked me for a light for his cigarette once and I told him that smoking woudl kill him and he replied that someone always gets killed sometime, i shat my pants and remember bumping into him down the alley way next to the guide hall and I was petrified, the last i heard Julian Louw told me he was working at a butchers.

[SandyB]

Come come  now ...  No  offence  meant  but  please choose    words  carefully ..   Murdered  because  you're  gay ?    ...If  you  read  back  to  my  previous  posting ... I stated   that  Grant   was   hanging around  the  sportsmans  a  lot ...  tried   for  some  time  to  get into  my  personal  space  ..  I felt very  uncomfortable  with it ( guardian angels maybe ? )  ...  anyhow  when  he  saw  no  progress   .  he  moved  on   to the  victim ..  He  was  seen  in  the  company  of  his  his victim  ( incidentally  a much  older   and  not  so  attractive  guy ) many  times   before  the incident .. surely  a grown   young  man  would  be  able  to  pick  up  signals   from  the  other one  earlier  ??   further  to  that  if  there  was  an  approach  that  went  wrong   then   he  had  option  of  getting  himself  out  of  the situation  - a  few taai  klaps   and  to  say  " I am  not  that sort  of person  ..  I think  you  have misunderstood   me "  ...   not  to  murder  the  person ??   From  my observation  the  guy  was lonely  and  yes  ,, gay ,   and  must  have  thought  he  was  in  " heaven " when   this attractive young  guy  started paying attention  to  him   and  cultivating  a  " friendship"  with him ?  ???

Long  and short of  it  is that  two  wrongs  do  not  make  a right ...   

   It is  indeed  a  sad  outcome   that  a person loses their life   because they  misread   a  situation .

[JohanB]

Regarding the Els case:

he got busted stealing from the video shop till after a trap was set, and though the cops came, the very Jan Smit that got murdered got the police to not press charges, giving the kid a break. The boy was humiliated, and broke into the house one night for revenge. When Jan's wife heard something she woke him up, and as he swung his feet off the bed, he stepped on the Els chap, who was lying on the floor right next to the bed. A fight broke out, and Jan struggled with the kid whilst shouting to his wife to grab the kids and run next door. Else hacked at both of them, but Jan fought him off, and got fatally wounded in return.
That's the way Jan's wife told it to my folks.

Anyone knows what happened to the wife and kids afterwards?

[Kathleen McCullagh]

Was that Dean and Jean?

[JohanB]

Will have to ask my sister, she knows. She was in their class at the time of the incident.

[Richard Opperman]

Serena and Wayne van Heerden have both passed away.
Serena I think with complications after a birth and Wayne in a car accident in northern Namibia.
The rest of the family I do not know, last heard some where in Cape Town?

Richard  8)

[Nicky Hodge]

Hey Richard, thanks for that info on Wayne and Serena. How sad. I seem to recall the incident with Wayne ( did this happen during the eighties?). Shocked to hear about Serena however. What year did this happen? This family has sure had their run of bad luck hey? Unbelievable!

[barb (Fry)]

Bad luck, last heard of in Plumstead area I believe.

[Richard Opperman]

Nicky, sorry so late with a reply - but so much to read on this site.
Wayne I think was in the 80s - happened at night a kudu went through the front window.
Serena I think also in the 80s, not to sure about the date.

Richard  8) 

[Nicky Hodge]

Hi Richard, thanks for that latest update. Very sad.

[barb (Fry)]

Barbara I tried to quote on other topic from here for you but but it doesn't work.

[Cheleen Koekemoer(Pretorius)]

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Regarding the Els case:

he got busted stealing from the video shop till after a trap was set, and though the cops came, the very Jan Smit that got murdered got the police to not press charges, giving the kid a break. The boy was humiliated, and broke into the house one night for revenge. When Jan's wife heard something she woke him up, and as he swung his feet off the bed, he stepped on the Els chap, who was lying on the floor right next to the bed. A fight broke out, and Jan struggled with the kid whilst shouting to his wife to  the kids and run next door. Else hacked at both of them, but Jan fought him off, and got fatally wounded in return.
That's the way Jan's wife told it to my folks.

Anyone knows what happened to the wife and kids afterwards?

@Johan B

Jip, that is the correct story....Security came to look for him at hour house that night as he and my brother was close friends, but he did not know where he was, only later they phoned us and told us that they found him.
Auntie Marie, Yvette and Arno
They moved to Upington for a while and then to Windhoek.  She remarried to a guy named Toffie, but I think they got divorced again.  Yvette, the eldest got married a few years back also living in WIndhoek, and the son Arno was studying in Cape Town.  Don't know what, but we see them from time to time.

Oh his name is Dean Ells.  Last that my eldest brother told me is he is living in Vredendal and is married.