'Hero' tells of sword attack
2008-08-22 09:08
Amanda Roestoff
Krugersdorp - One of the school employees injured in the sword attack at the Nic Diederichs Technical High School in Krugersdorp said he thought the sword was plastic.
Sam Namamela, 43, on Monday morning jumped in front of Stephan Bouwer, 18, to ward off an attack from Morné Harmse, 18.
He said he acted instinctively to protect the pupil, but that he had actually thought the sword was plastic. The sword then hit his colleague, Joseph Kodisang, 26, on the left cheek. The blow sliced open the skin from Kodisang's left ear down to his cheek.
Kodisang and Namamela were on their way to fetch rubbish bins on the school grounds when they saw bewildered children running around.
"I thought they were playing. Then I saw the laaitie with the mask," Namamela said in an interview with Beeld.
Both are scared
"He held the sword with both hands," he said.
After he had jumped in front of Bouwer, he was partially hit on the arm and the almost 60cm-long blade hit Kodisang on the left side of his head and sliced open the skin from his ear to under his cheek.
"Then I heard how one child shouted for help. I yelled at Joseph and said we should run to JC (the foreman)," said Namamela, who had been working at the school for six years.
The men went to the principal's office to seek help, after which they were taken by ambulance to the Netcare Krugersdorp private hospital.
Namamela had a small cut on his right arm near the elbow while Kodisang had to get 16 stitches for his injury.
"I am still very sad about the child (Jacques Pretorius) who died. Even if they say Joseph and I were heroes, we can't take any more nonsense. We will have to act faster."
Both men are afraid of a similar attack happening on the school grounds. "We are now very scared."
Stephan Bouwer's mother, Anne Jacobs, 45, of Tarlton, said this week her son might have died if it had not been for this act of heroism.
The Bouwer family still want to thank them personally for their conduct.
- Beeld