Southern Africa Unexplained

Case No 109 · UFO Afrinews No 12, July 1995

Justin's Story

1995 · Mandara, outlying suburb of Harare; over Avocado Farm; toward Harare Drive, Harare eastern suburbs, on the road back from Shamva, Zimbabwe

What was reported

Justin G. (22) and his nephew Paul (15) were driving back to Harare from a fishing trip to Shamva on the evening of 6 January 1995 when at Mandara they saw an enormously powerful light, ten times a Jumbo's landing light, coming from an object not much above the trees, apparently cylindrical with three red lights in a triangle at the rear. It hovered motionless, moved slowly for about a kilometre, then shot up and vanished. Justin, who knows aircraft, judged it far bigger than a Jumbo, its front light like a blinding beam, and noted two vertical dorsal fins and a flashing light underneath. They watched it hover over Avocado Farm, drove parallel as it went slowly back and forth in silence for over a minute, then saw it swivel toward Harare Drive and shoot up in the blink of an eye. Both felt icy cold on a hot night and would not sleep alone.

What Hind made of it

Hind notes Justin's knowledge of aircraft and that his mother, herself a witness of a cylinder over Marondera, believes him implicitly

In their words

  • Both boys felt icy cold while this was going on, despite it being very hot.

    Cynthia Hind, spread 16

  • Neither wanted to sleep alone that night, feeling afraid.

    Cynthia Hind, spread 16

Cross references

  • 12-16-4 bright light seen the week before while fishing
  • 12-16-2 Justin's mother's Marondera sighting, early 1970s
  • Avocado Farm, home of a local tennis ace

Connected

  • Justin's mother: silvery cylinder over MaronderaCase fileNamed person

    Justin G.'s Mandara cylinder of 6 January 1995 and his mother's early-1970s silvery cylinder over Marondera, appended as the reason she believes him implicitly. Family precedent, not independent corroboration.

  • Letter from Norbert Kazingizi: red ball over Waterfalls, HarareCase fileSame behaviour

    A huge light or red ball just above the treetops in eastern or southern Harare, hovering, moving slowly, changing direction, then gone: Mandara, January 1995, and Waterfalls, August 1993. Both witnesses ruled out aircraft and helicopter themselves.

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 12 (July 1995), spread 16

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