Southern Africa Unexplained

Case No 89 · UFO Afrinews No 10, August 1994

Dalene's Report: 'mother ship' and three small craft over Johannesburg

1991 · Johannesburg, poolside facing Pretoria and the Hartbeespoort Dam, Jan Smuts Airport, South Africa

What was reported

Dalene's second report. One evening in May 1991 she was among 12 people at a Johannesburg poolside, looking out towards Pretoria and the Hartbeespoort Dam, when several bright lights appeared. Binoculars showed a large stationary object with lights circling it clockwise, flashing red, blue and white. Three small craft seemed to leave the centre of this 'mother ship' and head off in different directions; one repeatedly flew towards Johannesburg and back. The display ran from about 19:30 until Dalene left at 22:00, and the others kept watching. Aircraft bound for Jan Smuts Airport was the first thought, but a plane that passed later looked quite different in size and colour. Neighbours with a telescope saw the colours too. Calls to the local UAP Association and the Planetarium got nowhere. The craft hovered, then drifted north-west on a cool, dark night with few stars.

What Hind made of it

No assessment printed.

Explanation offered
Aircraft approaching Jan Smuts Airport, rejected after comparison with a passing plane

In their words

  • This to-and-fro movement went on for quite some time.

    Cynthia Hind, spread 09

Cross references

  • Dalene's Boxing Day 1989 Kadoma sighting, 10-09-1

Connected

  • The Booysens Triangle, 1986Case fileSame behaviour

    Both parties first took the object for an airliner bound for Jan Smuts (a Jumbo in Booysens 1986; approach traffic at the 1991 poolside) and rejected it by comparing with a real aircraft. Booysens track NNE-S matches the Jan Smuts 03/21 runway alignment.

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 10 (August 1994), spread 09-10

Nearby

Stories within 60 km