A South African farmer and police fire at a glowing object near Fort Beaufort
June 26, 1972 · Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape · Sighting · Secondary sources only
Around 8 am on 26 June 1972, on a farm near Fort Beaufort, farmer Bernardus Smit and local police fired about fifteen rifle shots at an oval object that changed color from red to dark green to whitish-yellow. One later report said the bullets hit its edge with a metallic thud before it left at high speed.
Why it matters (3/5)
Africa's best-known police-involved case, noted in the press and in a New Scientist editorial.
Caveats
The accounts come from wire reports of the time; no police or army record was found. Some later sources date the case to 1971.
Sources
- Rifle shots at UFO (wire report) (Auckland Star), context
- 1972 UFO wave report (The Gaffney Ledger), context