Tag: attack

Famous Afrikaans author and scriptwriter attacked near Nelspruit

Chris Barnard

Chris Barnard (no relation to the heart surgeon) has been attacked at his home near Nelspruit and tied up. He has been injured but apparently not seriously and was treated by paramedics.

The 73-year old writer refused to go to hospital. Mr. Barnard is a famous Afrikaans author who has received the Hertzog Prize twice, in 1973 for his novel Mahala and the short-story collection Duiwel-in-die-bos, as well as for his life’s work in 1991.

His film director wife, Katinka Heyns, was not at home during the attack. The assailants made off with Mr. Barnard’s Isuzu pick-up truck, commonly called a bakkie in South Africa.

According to Sandra Jacobs, the marketing director for the Innibos National Arts Festival in Nelspruit, he was “very traumatised by the incident and did not want to speak to the media”.

A number of Afrikaans authors and intellectuals have been murdered in recent years, including geologist Louw Rabie, brother of the Sestiger Jan Rabie, André Potgieter, Lisbé Smuts-Smith, head of the Afrikaans department at the University of Cape Town, Pieter Pieterse, actor Randall de Jager, among others.

 

Was shooting victim André Jordaan left to die in Baragwanath Hospital?

Shaun Jordaan and his wife Jeanine. His father took 7 shots protecting the family Photo: Facebook

The white Afrikaner victim of the latest shooting in Muldersdrift, André Jordaan (50), was taken to Baragwanath Hospital, but was not operated on, despite having seven bullets in his body. After having been shot on Thursday evening by a marauding gang of black robbers, the hospital in Soweto promised to do an emergency operation by Friday morning.

However, the operation was not performed and Jordaan died on Saturday night at 22.05. His family, whom Jordaan had literally been taking bullets for while protecting them “like a hero”, is now anxious to know what went wrong. His son Shaun told Beeld newspaper: “We just want to know what went wrong and are desperate to get answers from the hospital. My dad was still quite strong after the shooting until Saturday afternoon.”

Apparently the head of Baragwanath has promised to contact the family about the issue.

Jordaan was shot at least seven times through a closed door while trying to protect his family from the military-style attack by at least four black robbers. Muldersdrift has been the scene of a war on households by criminals and ANC-trained militiamen belonging to the so-called “Task Desk”. Many of the attackers also come from Zimbabwe and may have received military training in Mugabe’s army.

The entire family of six was huddled together in a room behind the door with the assailants trying to break it down. Apart from Mr. Jordaan, there were his son Shaun (26), his wife Isabel (48), another son, Kevin (23), his pregnant girlfriend Mariska (24) and Shaun’s wife, Jeanine (23).

André Jordaan was shot several times, but kept on standing up to throw his body against the door. He was shot three times in the stomach, twice in the chest, as well as in his left arm and right shoulder.

As was reported earlier, three of the attackers were arrested on Friday and will appear today in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court. The killers are believed to be also responsible for the slaying of Alyssa Botha (13), the girl from Monument High School, whose family was also attacked only a few houses away.

There is some controversy over the identity of the murder gang, as some sources claim that they had already been apprehended a week ago but were released by police without appearing in court.