Charlize Theron has recently recounted the night her mother Gerda shot and killed her father, Charles, in an act of self-defence in their Benoni home, 35 years ago.
Two decades after his death, another man was brutally murdered in the home located in Rynfield.
What does the Hollywood actress’s childhood house look like now?
WHAT DOES CHARLIZE THERON’S BENONI HOME LOOK LIKE NOW?
In 1991, Charlize Theron’s mother, Gerda, shot and killed her husband, Charles, who had been described as an alcoholic and abuser.
Not long after, she left her Benoni home, located at 7th Street in Rynfield, to attend boarding school at the National School of Arts in Johannesburg. Thereafter, both Charlize and her mom moved abroad.
Two decades later, in 2012, the new owner of the house, Barry Newland, was shot and killed by a group of intruders. Newland had turned the property into a car sales business.
In 2015, partners Dirk Eloff and Vaughn Grobler bought the home and converted it into self-catering accommodation. The property features several units, a swimming pool, and a large outdoor entertaining space.
The home, called Imbasa Accommodation, is now a tourist attraction. It features a handwritten message on the wall from the star itself, that reads: “All the best, Charlize Theron”.
Grobler told the Benoni City Times in 2017: “We would love for her to come out and see that at least there is something positive about the house she grew up in, because after they moved there, there has been nothing but bad news”.
The home is available to rent via various holiday accommodation websites.
‘HE WAS GOING TO KILL US’
Speaking to the New York Times earlier this month, Charlize Theron recounted the horrific ordeal of her mother, Gerda, who shot and killed her father, Charles.
At the time, Charles was heavily intoxicated and had attacked the mother and daughter duo. Charles and his brother had arrived at their home and had quickly started firing at them.
Charlize said: “He shot through the steel doors to get in, making it very clear that he was going to kill us … [My mother] came into my bedroom. The two of us were holding the door with our bodies because there wasn’t a lock on it. And he just stepped back and started shooting through the door.
“The messaging was very clear. I’m going to kill you tonight”, she recounted.
Charlize revealed that her mom shot her uncle in the hand before fatally shooting her father.
She was never charged with murder as authorities found that she had acted in self-defence.
Charlize Theron highlighted the growing concern for gender-based violence in her home country and adoptive one.
She continued: “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated story. These things are prevalent in a lot of homes. Women really get a very, very unfair shake, even in this country. Nobody takes it seriously, the situation that they’re in. And I don’t think anybody took my mom seriously.”
Charlize maintained that she had never blamed her mother for her father’s death
“That night changed it because, in retrospect, once I got out of the shock of it, I realised that she saved my life. Which is a big thing,” she added.
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