While we know UFO sightings happen all over the world, some places, as we have written about before, are seemingly a magnet for such activity. Perhaps it is unfortunate then that we don’t delve into the plethora of sightings from South Africa more often. Since the early 1970s at the very least, the country has a steady stream of UFO sightings and alleged alien abduction cases to its name.

We have previously examined the Kalahari Incident which, according to Tony Dodd, was one that several of his sources confirmed to be legitimate (despite the documents sent to Dodd being obvious forgeries). If that case is authentic, then not only do the South African military have an active interest in UFOs and extraterrestrial visitors, but there is also involvement with the US government. It would further suggest the legitimate existence of Camp 13, a top-secret military base where some claim recovered UFOs and even alien entities reside.

As a side-note, if we look at the claims in the Ancient Astronaut Theory that the Anunnaki once “mined the belly” of South Africa for gold, then perhaps it is not too much of a surprise to note the number of other-worldly encounters in this part of the world. The short video below is a news report regarding a multiple witness sighting in 1998.

Strange Activity At The New “Link” Road

As Meagan Quezet was reading just before midnight on 3rd January 1979, in her home in Mindalore, Krugersdorp, South Africa, her 12-year-old son, Andre, entered the living room claiming he couldn’t sleep. Getting up to make the two of them a drink, each could hear their dog, Cheeky, barking excitedly outside. Meagan would open the door to their house expecting to see Cheeky waiting to come in. However, it soon became apparent that he had somehow ventured out of the gates of the property.

Fearing his barking would annoy their neighbors, she went to the front gates, calling her dog to come back. He continued down the road, seemingly so interested in something that he ignored the commands to return. Meagan called to Andre to help, as he was the closest to Cheeky out of all the family.

Both would venture up Saul Jacobs Street until they came to the T-junction at the top named Tindall Road. Beyond Tindall Road was a new “link” road for transportation of goods from the increasing factories of the Chemdor and Lupaardivel Industrial estates. Cheeky, along with several other dogs from the area, stood barking, more and more frantically at a “bright pink light”.

At first, Meagan thought that lights had been installed on the new road, but Andre stated this wasn’t the case. Both looked again at the pink glow, now believing it to be a light aircraft coming in to land. Fearing that Cheeky may be injured they moved towards the new road and the pink lights. Strangely, they could hear no sound, and as the made their way over the ditches and embankments, each could clearly see the pink lights were not a plane of any kind.

A Metallic Craft Encased In Light

The shape of the craft was “odd” and it seemed to be “encased in light”. As it came closer, they could see that two individual lights at each end of the craft appeared to project this strange glow. As they moved closer still, and with nothing to impede their view, they could see the object land on the road.

It was a distinct egg-shape, aside from the underside, which had the appearance as though the bottom had been sliced off so creating a flat edge. From the underside were four “spider legs” that appeared to support the weight of the craft as it stood. The color was of dark metal and the entire surface was smooth with no joins or seams. Believing the object was an “experimental craft” of the South African military, each was more intrigued than afraid. Then, six men emerged from the craft and stepped to the ground. Each adorned a one-piece coverall which, aside from two of them, covered their entire heads.

They would split into three groups, each seemingly examining a certain part of their surroundings.

Meagan and Andre could clearly see and hear the two nearest to them. They examined the ground, picking up sand and watching as it slipped through their fingers. One of them spoke substantially more than the other and had a high-pitched voice that, at times, sounded akin to singing. By contrast, the other spoke only occasionally and did so in monosyllables. They couldn’t hear the words, only the sounds. Both agreed, however, it was a language completely unfamiliar to them. Meagan would later state that the closest language she could match it to would be Chinese.

A Feeling Of “Something Not Right!”

Each of the men began to inspect the tarmac surface of the road, bending down and pressing on it with their hands. One of them, in particular, seemed to compare the difference between the tarmac and the sand at the side of the road.

It was then they noticed Meagan and Andre and began to walk in their direction.

One of those heading in their direction had his head uncovered. Meagan would later state the “man” had “thick, dark hair, which was curly, and a beard!” The color of their coverall was white, according to Meagan, but the glow from the craft made it look pink when they stood in its light. As they neared them, Meagan also noticed that she was considerably taller than them. She would estimate their height to be around five feet, at least half a foot shorter than her. When the pair were in front of Meagan and Andre, the bearded man bowed and said words they didn’t understand but seemed to be a greeting. All the while, he sustained direct eye contact with Meagan.

She felt herself “drawn to him” and although his eyes were quite normal, she believed them to be “translucent, as if she could look through” them. It was then, for reasons she couldn’t explain, that a sudden feeling of dread began to wash over her. Almost through instinct, she said to Andre to “go and get Daddy. And run, please run!”

The two men spoke to each other, again using short monosyllables. Meagan continued to stare at them, not moving her eyes from the pair. It was because of this that she found it strange that within what seemed a second, all of the crew were back on board the craft and the previously open door was now shut.

Condensed Time?

Moments later, a buzzing sound like “bees in a hive” pierced the night air, and the four “spider legs” underneath the craft grew to around three times their length. Meagan began to back away as the craft stepped forward, looking like some strange metallic insect. As she was about to give in to the panic welling up inside of her, the craft stopped for a moment. The legs began to withdraw into the “body” of the object and it hovered over the ground for several seconds. Then, again without warning, it would shoot up vertically into the sky, appearing to be nothing more than a bright pink light as it vanished from view. The clouds above glowed pink for several minutes following.

Andre also witnessed the disappearance of the craft. He had turned back towards his mother upon hearing the commotion prior to its launch. As they made their way back towards the house, Meagan made the decision not to wake her husband. There were no signs anywhere on the road of the object’s presence, and there was nothing he could do. She would make a report of the encounter the following day.

UFO researchers (including MUFON) would examine the case. It would appear at least one other sighting was made that evening by an anonymous husband and wife who were driving in Mindalore at the same time as Meagan first noticed Cheeky barking. They would report a “gray cone-shaped craft with four legs”. They would also report “humanoid figures” around the outside of the craft.

Whether the occupants of the egg-shaped craft that January evening in 1979 were military personnel or cosmic visitors is open to debate. South Africa, however, has had a wealth of UFO sightings. And they appear to be increasing.

Police Witnesses

Before we look at some of the more recent sightings, including a well-documented event on social media in 2015, it is worth taking note of some of the others incidents on record. In 1965, for example, two police constables witnessed a “copper colored” craft land in the middle of the Pretoria-Bronkhorstspruit Road. As their car approached the shining object it cut out and came to a stop. Each man watched as the craft then burst into life, lifting into the air while projecting bursts of flames from its underside.

The object was visible for several minutes afterwards, while the road itself was “ablaze” for some time. The Lt. Colonel of the station would issue a press-release confirming the report of his officers. Despite this, and the distinct charred and ruined mess left on the road itself, scientists from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) would publicly refute the officers’ accounts. They didn’t, however, offer an explanation of their own and the incident is still unexplained.

As the 1970s unfolded, UFO sightings and encounters in South Africa exploded. One of the first would be featured on news stations around the world.

In early-1972, farm owner, Bennie Smith, would fire several shots at a strange object hovering over his farm in Fort Beaufort in the eastern cape region. Furthermore, when police arrived at Smith’s request, they too opened fire on the object. Neither theirs or Smith’s bullets had any effect. The object was the shape of “a drum” with three legs on its underside that changed color several times before it shot off into the sky. The incident would cause waves in the International media for a time, with intense coverage of the area from UFO researchers and tabloid journalists.

1972 UFO Wave?

Perhaps one of the most bizarre encounters on record is that of Doris Muthwa in Roosboom on 21st August 1972. While drawing water with her 12-year-old daughter, she saw in the distance what she thought was a “man in a white suit” smoking a cigarette. As she looked closer she noticed “the smoke became like a big fire” and there was bright light coming from the man. This blue and pink light was “shining from his chest!” The man began to lift from the ground, allowing Muthwa to estimate the figure to be around 11-feet tall. It then “shot into the sky” and vanished. Both witnesses would state they felt a “jerkiness” throughout their bodies as if they had received some kind of electric shock.

Five days earlier, on 16th August, also in Roosboom, Elias Khosa claimed to have seen “a monster” with “small flames burning around its feet!” He would attempt to communicate with the strange figure but it sped away “emitting flames and smoke!”

Although the exact date is unknown, the experience of an anonymous woman in Sizabantu in late-1972 suggests alien abduction. As she lay in bed one night she noticed a helicopter flying overhead although it appeared to be very low. Suddenly gushing winds began to enter the room and the next thing she knew she was inside a room with “several robots” who were examining her. The robots spoke to her through telepathy and the procedures they performed were painless. Once the procedure was over she was returned to her room.

Strange Lights Over Junior School

As the principal of Rosmead Junior School, Harold Truter, approached the complex on 12th November 1972, he could see a strange “greenish-white” glow above the school tennis courts. He pulled his car onto the school grounds, and exited his vehicle, all the while keeping the lights in his sight. He noticed no engine noise of any kind. In fact, there was a disturbing silence.

As he neared the tennis courts he could smell “burned oil” in the air. When he got to the chain-link fence, he could see the asphalt of the courts were cracked and turned to ash. There were “gaping holes” on the court as if caused by something of considerable weight. He could also see the shimmering of molten tar which reflected the light from the moon.

Police would investigate the court and take a statement from Truter. According to them, “many UFO sightings were reported that evening!” No explanation was reached, and the incident remains a mystery.

Around eighteen months later in May 1974, Peter and Frances MacNorman were returning from Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on their way to Beit Bridge at the South African border. At around 2:30 am, Frances witnessed a strange light “keeping pace with them” at the left side of the car. The vehicle’s lights began to fade, but all around them remained light. Each would notice a very sudden chill envelope them.

Peter suddenly noticed they were moving at over 90 mph so he eased his foot from the accelerator. It was then he realized he was not in control of the car. He pushed down on the brake, but nothing happened.

Missing Time And Unanswered Questions

By the time the pair reached their destination, they noticed the clocks at the border control read 8:30 am. Checking their watches and the clock in the car, they realized it was 7:30 am. There was an hour of time that they had no recollection of. They also couldn’t account for why following a 200-plus-mile journey, their petrol tank was almost full. Furthermore, neither could actually remember the journey to the border, aside from vague memories of a long straight road. The route they had taken was full of hard to negotiate twists and turns. Even stranger, was the four, brand new tires on the vehicle, all of which showed only the very minimal amount of use on them.

Shortly after the experience, Peter would seek hypnotic regression therapy, desperate to recover the missing time from their journey. What he revealed was fascinating, to say the least.

According to the session records, shortly after setting off on their journey, an alien would “beam into” the back seat. Before they could react, the vehicle was floating upwards, as if in a tractor beam of some kind. A “large silver saucer” was the source of the traction, and the car settled down on board this huge craft.

Peter then found himself in a “sickbay” where he was examined by several creatures “with large heads!” He would also claim to see his wife and other people on board the craft. All of whom appeared in a trance. He could also see his car, parked neatly in between two smaller silver discs. Four alien entities were examining the engine of the car as well as looking at the tires.

Sightings Continue Into Modern Times

Although sightings of strange objects continued into the 1980s they were not at the same levels of the previous decade. However, these sightings would begin to increase again in the 1990s.

Around the same time as the Belgian Wave, in April 1991, an entire family of witnesses in Baviaanspoort in Pretoria would report a triangular craft with “white star-like lights on each extremity!” It also possessed a dominant red light in the middle of its underside.

On 18th November 1993 in Sasolburg, residents would witness a “water-droplet-shaped” craft hovering overhead before disappearing in a flash. It would return several moments later, with some witnesses claiming to see it change shape and color. In late-1994, a Warrenton farmer reported multiple sightings of a “small craft traveling at great speed” beside a “mothership”. Four other witnesses would report similar sightings.

On 28th August 1996, Sergeant Becker would report a triangular shaped craft over Pretoria. A Johannesburg radar operator would also report the anomaly at the same location and time. A similar craft was seen over the town of Graaff Reinet during Christmas 1998.

In July 2010 numerous Pretoria residents witnessed “a triangle of bright lights” hanging over the city for two hours. The following year in May 2011, came reports of around twenty orange lights speeding over Tierpoort. Reports of the same craft would come in the following month.

Perhaps one of the most recent sightings occurred in November 2015 over Cape Town. Reports of a “strange green light” over the city exploded. Many witnesses obtained video footage and photographs of the sighting, and social media was awash with theories and explanations. It is certain the UFO presence in South Africa is real and persistent.