Massacre cop leaves gift of life
2006-12-05 22:55
Johannesburg - Sergeant Gert Schoeman, who died in the Jeppestown massacre with three other cops, has left an incredible gift - a baby daughter.
His 33-year-old widow, Brenda, fights back tears as she describes baby Tregan, who was born last week.
She said: "She's the last gift that her father left for us."
Tregan's father was one of four policemen who died in a huge shoot-out in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, in June this year.
He and five other police officers were ambushed at a house after following a gang of suspected robbers, after a Sunday-morning robbery at Honeydew's Pick 'n Pay.
Brenda was four months pregnant at the time and she did not know if three-year-old Braedon wanted a brother or sister.
Beeld reported at the time that Braedon tugged at the heartstrings when he hugged and rubbed a guard dog that was part of the guard of honour at his dad's funeral.
'The longing doesn't get less'
His sister was born by Caesarean section on November 27 at Brenthurst Clinic in Johannesburg.
Her name, Tregan, stems from her father's names- Gert (in reverse) and the "an" from Johannes.
Her birth brought back many raw memories.
Brenda said, wiping away her tears at home in Greenhills, Randfontein: "The longing for him doesn't get any less."
"It's worse at the moment, because he helped me so much with Braedon."
Tregan weighed in at 2.88kg at birth.
"She looked just like her brother, but without red hair."
"When she sleeps, she's just like her father. He was also a deep sleeper."
Braedon is wild about his new sister and was chatting away to her even before she was born.
New and fresh start
"He sometimes whispered messages to his sister through my belly button.
"The first thing he did when his sister was brought home was to run past the cradle and shout, 'Where's my sister?' "
When her husband died, Brenda closed her toy-and-children's shop, but she's looking forward to a "new and fresh start".
She is planning a new enterprise in Krugersdorp in the New Year.