Mass murder is the act of killing more than one victim at the same time, not to be confused with a serial killer who kills multiple victims in similar ways over a longer period.
South Africa has seen a spike in mass murders, but nothing like what we read about in America, especially in schools.
This makes me think of the Morné Harmse case. Harmse walked into his high school in Krugersdorp on a Monday in August 2008, intending to kill as many people as possible.
Harmse brutally attacked four people that morning with a Samurai sword. Sixteen-year-old Jacques Pretorius did not survive the attack, while another pupil and two workers sustained serious injuries.
Harmse was charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In court, Harmse testified that he and his three friends wanted to do something impressive, but on that fateful Monday, his friends backed out.
Harmse, however, had no intention of backing out.
In the book ‘Samurai Sword Murder’ by Nicole Engelbrecht, I read that Harmse told the state psychologist that he didn’t feel he was entirely responsible for what happened as he was unable to stop himself.
The psychologist described Harmse in his report as clever and cunning.
Further in the book, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Heyns states that he had shown Harmse a crime scene photo of Jacques Pretorius, and Harmse said ‘That’s actually not as bad as I thought’ while laughing.
Harmse’s time in prison was not uneventful; there were reports of suicide attempts, violent outbursts, and gang activity.
On March 3, 2022, Morné Harmse was released on parole from Zonderwater Correctional Services Centre.
Dr Gérard Labuschagne, who interviewed Harmse for his parole board assessment, described the decision by the Department of Correctional Services as absurd and reckless.
“He has more risk factors since going to prison than he had before going to prison,” stated Dr Labuschagne.
It is shocking to think that a violent offender and attempted mass murderer only served 14 years behind bars.
My heart goes out to the Pretorius family.
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