Found. At Last!
In a special late afternoon (in camera) session, scheduled for last Thursday to avoid the press, The Cape Supreme Court reserved judgement in a urgent application against a national food chain, Shoprite/Checkers.My father, who initiated the action, is the great grandson of Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, president of the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek, which seized to exist in 1902; at the end of the Anglo Boer War.
Impoverished by the war, my great grandfather had to sell the family farm in 1905. It changed hands three times before Shoprite / Checkers bought the farm last year, which is situated on the highway right next to Barberton. They planned a new Shoprite shopping centre at the site. Excavations started four weeks ago.
Two weeks ago four rusted steel chests were unearthed – containing a large number of gold bars each and filled to the brim with gold Kruger pounds.
My father is acting on behalf of all the descendants of the old president; 147 people in all. We filled the courtroom; the youngest being only six months old. He claimed that the gold coins belong to the Kruger family as we retained the mineral rights on the farm.
When asked about this, he produced a letter written by President Kruger in Switzerland, telling his son (my great grandfather) that there is gold on the farm. They assumed it to be un-mined and thus retained the mineral rights. My father continued that, as gold is a mineral and as it was under the ground, it belongs to the Kruger family.
Shoprite/Checkers, in defence, admitted that they don’t possess any mineral rights, but said that bars and minted coins can hardly be described a minerals; and as such belongs to Shoprite/Checkers.
The find is estimated to be in excess of $500 million.
Chief Justice Umtakati reserved judgement until Tuesday. My father is confident that the judgement will be in our favour. The whole family sit waiting in suspense.
In the meanwhile my father sold the story to a leading newspaper to hit the streets Tuesday (tomorrow) morning, before the court convenes again.
It will be a shocking disgrace if my family is robbed of what is rightfully ours.
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Continued
Comments (14)
President Kruger escaped unnoticed with four wagons and 20 ‘burghers’; ahead of the British troops when they marched unopposed into Pretoria. With him he carried an undisclosed amount in gold bars and Kruger coins; and British currency. He fled via Barberton, where he got fresh horses on his farm Krugershoop.
He stayed on the farm for a few days and after burning his wagons, he went on to Delagoa Bay (Maputo today), where he embarked on Die Gelderland to proceed to Switzerland via Holland and Germany; into voluntary exile rather than serving the British.
He never returned and lived a lavish live until his death on July 14th, 1904, when the gold seemed to have disappeared with him. Comparatively very little of it was found in his villa. The gold was feared to be in a Swiss numbered account and thus lost to the family.
The president wrote two letters to his son, but the second never arrived; thought to have been lost when the Baron Lambermont sank off the coast of Tunisia on April 14th, 1904.
The president’s son (my great grandfather) later sold the farm and it has changed hands twice before Shoprite/Checkers bought the farm last year.
No, most those were of other branches of the family. we have it researched quite well.
@ Whocan it be.
All lies. 18 were killed by the British. The other two died of the bad food on the Dutch warship.
Once again heartiest CONGRATULATIONs
See, they look very much alike. Sorry, but you don't have any claim here.
@ Luke
Yes, but I should have kept quiet about it. Now everybody claims to be family! Fortune hunters! I wonder how many will come forward now claiming to be one of my bastert children!
Luckily Paul Kruger were of German ascendency!
Don't wake sleeping (packs of) dogs.