JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Controversial South African mining magnate Brett Kebble was shot and killed late on Tuesday in what police said may have been a deliberate attempt on his life.
"Brett Kebble died on Tuesday evening in Johannesburg after shots were fired at his car," family spokesman David Barritt said in a statement.
Kebble, 41, who sponsored a major South African arts prize, stepped down recently as chief executive from three interlinked South African mining firms after they ran into financial problems, and police said a deliberate attempt on his life could not be ruled out.
Police spokesman Chris Wilken said officers were investigating whether Kebble's murder was just another statistic in South Africa's notorious crime rate or if he was deliberately targetted.
"The motive for the murder of Mr. Kebble is uncertain. There are two possibilities: Either it was a direct attempt on his life or it was a hijack attempt," Wilken said.
"We don't know if he was led into an ambush or if he was followed," he said.
Nothing was taken from his luxury German vehicle, Wilken said, adding Kebble was shot a number of times on a bridge spanning a major Johannesburg highway in the city's affluent northern suburbs.
Kebble trained as a lawyer and worked as a corporate financier before following his father Roger into the family business, leading Western Areas, Randgold & Exploration and one of South Africa's oldest mining firms JCI Ltd.
Barritt said Kebble was on his way to a dinner engagement when he was gunned down and shot at least five times in the upper body.
Last month, Kebble resigned from all three companies under pressure from major shareholders worried about financial problems at the firms.
In a statement at the time, Kebble said he had tried to mend fences.
"After a period of deep introspection, and notwithstanding the rough and ready ethos that is characteristic of our industry, I believe that some of the bruising corporate and personal battles that have taken place on my watch, while unavoidable, might have been handled in a less confrontational way. I have therefore attempted in recent months to mend some fences."
JCI got a cash injection and new management, while Western Areas said it would go ahead with a rights issue to raise cash.
The Johannesburg stock exchange last month suspended the listings of JCI and Randgold and Exploration after they failed to file annual financial statements.
