Visagie Mary

In the early hours of Saturday, October 18, 2008, a tragic incident unfolded at a rented rural smallholding on Old Main Road in Drummond, KwaZulu-Natal, located a few hundred meters from the historic Valley of 1000 Hills Hotel. The victim was thirty-eight-year-old businesswoman Mary Visagie, a well-known figure in the local music and nightlife scene who owned the Red Door nightclub in Pietermaritzburg and had previously run the Burn nightclub in Durban and the Scaramouche restaurant in Hillcrest. Mary Visagie had returned home on Friday evening with her two young daughters, six-year-old Erin and three-and-a-half-year-old Kendra, after having supper with friends in Hillcrest. Armed attackers breached the home, demanding the keys to her Opel Corsa. In her fright and confusion, Mary was unable to immediately find the keys. When the intruders threatened to take her daughters, Mary screamed at the children to run and hide. Erin managed to run and take cover on a neighbor's veranda, while little Kendra hid underneath a bed. During the confrontation, Mary was shot in the stomach before the attackers fled into the night. The two little girls returned to their mother's side after the house fell silent, finding her bleeding heavily. Not fully understanding that she was dying, they tried to comfort her through a long vigil, propping a pillow under her head and giving her water when she expressed thirst. At around seven o'clock on Saturday morning, the eldest daughter ran to a neighbor to ask for help, stating that her mother would not wake up. Mary Visagie succumbed to her injuries on the corridor floor of her home before emergency services arrived. Following an intensive investigation, the South African Police Service tracked down the suspects. One suspect was arrested on Tuesday night in possession of an unlicensed firearm and items stolen from the property. When police moved to arrest the second suspect, he opened fire on the officers and was shot dead in the ensuing gun battle.