Southern Africa Unexplained

Case · UFO Afrinews No 21, January 2000

Rosmead Tennis Court UAP

1972 · Rosmead, railway junction 10 km from Middelburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa

What was reported

At 20:15 four soldiers lying on mattresses outside the base Duty Room saw red lights circling about 1.5 m above the primary school tennis court; after a few turns they vanished without a sound. About ten minutes later headmaster Harold Truter, home from Port Elizabeth, found holes punched in the court and tarmac strewn about, though it was fenced to 1.6 m and locked. At 21:20 Sgt Goosen in Middelburg was watching a light that kept changing shape as it moved south, and called colleagues before Truter rang at 21:35. Police recorded five large holes about 1.5 m across and five small ones 20-30 cm wide, evenly spaced. Bluegum leaves facing the court were scorched, and tarmac was found embedded in tree trunks 200 m away at 2 m height. The police laboratory found no radiation and blamed children with pick-axes.

What Hind made of it

Hind rejects the police view that children did the damage: no evidence was produced, the day was hot (100 F) and clear with no lightning, and the tarmac was pressed down as if by pressure, not pushed up as in an explosion.

Explanation offered
Col. Neethling of the Police Laboratory, Pretoria, said children had 'done the damage' and reported pick-axe marks

In their words

  • I could still see the strange object in the sky, but later it disappeared.

    Sgt Goosen, spread 4

  • The marks seemed to have the same shape and were the same distance from one another.

    Col. van Heerden, spread 4

Cross references

  • UFOs: African Encounters (1982)

Connected

  • Rosmead tennis court: physical trace caseCase fileSame witness

    The two full accounts of the same night. Both carry Harold Truter, Sgt Johannes Goosen, Col B J van Heerden and Col Neethling; both give 20:15 soldiers / ~20:25 Truter / 21:20 Goosen / 21:35 phone call; both give five large holes plus five small ones, scorched bluegum leaves and tarmac driven into trees 200 m away. Published 12 years apart (issue 1, July 1988; issue 21, January 2000). Details drift between them: tar embedded at 4 m (01-05-1) vs 2 m (21-04-1); Truter returning 'from a weekend away' vs 'home from Port Elizabeth'; holes 'over a metre' vs 'about 1.5 m'. Same event, same witnesses, not two reports.

  • Rosmead tennis court damage (editorial reference)Case fileSame behaviour

    Both describe the four servicemen and a spinning object with red lights all round it sitting on / circling above the court. 03-03-2 gives it as 'sitting on the court'; 21-04-1 as circling 1.5 m above it, then vanishing silently. Same witness group, two descriptions of contact with the ground.

  • The Rosmead tennis courtStorySame window

    Every record in this cluster, story included, describes the same 80 minutes: 20:15 to 21:35 on 12 November 1972. There is no second date anywhere in the cluster except the disputed 1975 of 20-03-1. The 'window of weeks' test returns a window of one evening.

  • The Rosmead Tennis Court Affair revisited: 'of course, it was a whirlwind'Case fileSame place

    Identical coordinates (-31.4892, 25.1194), the centre of Rosmead village, 10 m from the mapped Rosmead military camp. These are the only cluster points that sit on the real site.

  • Rosmead Tennis-Court Case: whirlwind, then lightningCase fileSame place

    Identical coordinates (-31.4892, 25.1194). Three of the seven cases share this exact point; the geocoder resolved 'Rosmead' consistently for them and to Middelburg town for the others.

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 21 (January 2000), spread 4-5

In the archive

This case became a story on this site.

1972 · South Africa

The Rosmead tennis court

Red lights zigzagged over a Karoo railway village. By morning the school tennis court was cracked, molten and pitted, and the gum trees were dying.

LIFTLiftACCAcceleration
Press report