According to the police in Carletonville, Mr Karel Erasmus Johannes Nicolaas (Kallie) Venter (56) was involved in an accident on the corner of Ada Street and Onyx Drive on 20 December. He was driving a Mahindra bakkie belong-ing to his employer, Kgori Security when a silver Volkswagen Polo crashed into the side of his vehicle.
ER24 transported Venter and the wife and eight-year-old daughter of the Polo’s 31-year-old driver to Carletonville Hospital.
Venter was not seriously injured and had just been discharged. The police say he was waiting on the steps in front of the hospital.
The driver of the other vehicle had since heard that his daughter had suffered head injuries in the accident, however. She was going to be transferred to Leratong Hospital due to the severity of her injuries. He saw Venter sitting on the steps, walked back into the hospital and picked up a pair of surgical scissors.
He walked back to Venter and started stabbing him in the back. When hospital security guards and even paramedics failed to get the man away from him, someone went to call armed police officers from Wedela. The latter were coinci- dentally in the hospital to make an arrest. It was only when the armed police members intervened that the vicious attacker let go of Venter. One of the police officers was also stabbed in the arm.
Although Venter, who had suffered at least 16 stab wounds, was immediately taken back into the hospital for treatment, his condition was so bad that he was transferred to Leratong Hospital. He passed away there on 26 December.
The police changed the case from assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm to murder after Venter’s death.
The Herald asked Carletonville Hospital how the gruesome attack was possible on its premises.
“Our emergency department has two security officers to keep the area free of any incidents daily. This was a very unfortunate incident. Luckily, two police officers were also present in the hospital’s casualty area. They immediately inter- vened when the same perpetrator also attacked the security personnel who tried to assist.
“The perpetrator was arrested on the spot, with the same person injuring a police officer in the process. The victim was immediately rushed to Leratong regional hospital for higher care intervention.
Our humblest condolences to his family as we have, unfortunately, lost a life because a person unlawfully took the law into his hands. We can safely state that the child was found to be stable after being thoroughly assessed. The father did not have to behave in this manner after the car accident.
Due to Covid-19 precautions, the hospital still does not allow visitors unless they are accompanying a very sick person or a child, as was the case after the accident,” the hospital’s CEO, Mr Sonwabo Lindani, responded.
The late Mr Kallie Venter. Photo: Facebook
