A former Pumas scrum half, Emile Temperman, narrowly missed being shot after he had tackled one of two armed suspects who had attempted to break into his Steiltes home in Aurora Drive, Mbombela in the early hours of this morning, June 2.
Temperman had several shots fired at him at close range by the suspect, however, not a single bullet managed to hit him.
Both the suspects escaped following the incident and are still being sought by local security companies and the police.
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Temperman told Lowvelder how the incident had unfolded, saying it was by the grace of God that he had not been shot. He said he had left for CrossFit before 05:00 while his wife and two-year-old daughter were at home sleeping.
While there, he had been informed by his coach that his wife was trying to call him, however, when he tried to call contact her, there was no answer.
“I knew there was something wrong. I rushed to get my bag and was about to leave when my coach managed to reach her. She said there were people in the yard and she had already called Divergent Ops and our neighbour’s wife.
“On my way home, I phoned Divergent to make sure they were on their way, and they were. I also called my neighbour, Fanie du Preez.”
Temperman said his wife had been sleeping in the main bedroom when she heard a noise in the garden. When she looked out the bedroom window, a man was standing there, trying to get in. He said his wife hit the window, hoping to scare the suspect off, but the man continued attempting to get into the house. That is when she ran to the bathroom and began calling for help.
He said after she had made the calls, she went back to the bedroom and saw the first suspect was joined by another. They were trying to enter the house through the window.
This is when Temperman arrived home. He said the pedestrian gate to their yard was open and he found the two suspects in the garden, attempting to get into his home through the bedroom window.
“I shouted for them to stop. They both ran and jumped over the wall into Fanie’s yard. I chased them and managed to tackle one of the suspects on the stairs at the front of his property.
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“I think my years as a rugby player ensured that I was able to tackle him hard and he hit his head on the stairs.
“As I tackled him, I saw he was trying to grab something from his side. I knew I had to react, because my life could be in danger.”
He said he punched the suspect twice, but his third one didn’t land and this is when the man managed to get a few steps away from him, He pulled out a gun.
“He was standing a metre and a half away from me. He was holding his head in one hand and started firing several rounds at me.”
Meanwhile, Divergent Ops officer Ivan van der Merwe had arrived at the scene, just in time to see the end of Temperman’s tackle and the armed suspect begin to fire at him. The other suspect had left his accomplice to fend for himself and was trying to find a way to escape the property.
Van der Merwe said he was outside the property and began running to the gate when both suspects opened fire on him. While their attention was focused on Van der Merwe, Temperman managed to get out from the line of fire. Van der Merwe fired back at the suspects.
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He said the pair ran and jumped over another neighbour’s fence. The duo were chased over yet another neighbour’s wall before they disappeared.
Temperman said he opened a case of attempted robbery and attempted murder with the police who arrived later at the scene.
He thanked Divergent for its quick response and that Du Preez was there to assist when his wife had been in danger.
Lowvelder had not received comment from the police at the time of publishing.
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