Naka Drotske: We were going to die, so instinct kicked in

Naka Drotske says “instinct kicked in” when he risked his life to save family and good friend Os du Randt in an armed attack in late November.

The former Springbok hooker and Cheetahs head coach was subsequently left fighting for his life after being shot in the stomach and through his right arm into his chest.

One of these wounds became infected, eventually leading to him staying in hospital for almost 40 days.

Yet Drotske justifies his actions on the basis that he believes the four assailants were intent on killing.

“I was sitting on the outside patio with my back to the garden when I heard Os and my brother, Thinus, screaming, ‘No, no, no.’,” the 47-year-old told TimesLIVE.

“When I turned around I saw four guys, wearing balaclavas, armed with guns, and spraying tear gas as well. I didn’t believe they were looking for money because our mobile phones and wallets were on the table in front of us. They saw that.”

The four men had tried to force everyone into the house, but Drotske decided he needed to intervene as that would mean “we were going to die”.

“I believed they had a different agenda and I just decided to attack them. There were some steps leading off the patio and I knew if I could knock them down they would lose their balance and I could get my hands on a weapon,” said Drotske.

“So I targeted the middle man – the leader – and took the other two or three with me down the stairs and onto the lawn. I was wrestling on top of him when he shot me in the stomach, another guy shot me through the arm and a third attacker shot but missed.”

His intervention nonetheless allowed his brother’s son to press the house’s panic button, prompting the attackers to run away.

But his heroic act took a huge toll on his body.

“I had two operations in Pretoria. Both operations were a success and everything seemed fine. I was discharged a week later. When I was back in Bloemfontein I had some bleeding in the wound and it was thought that I just needed blood. But when I was there they found infection and they needed to operate again. I was in hospital for another 37 days, which wasn’t nice at all.

“The doctors said it was touch and go at one stage, which you only really hear afterwards. They even called the family together to maybe start preparing them, but with God’s grace I got through it,” said Drotske.

Two men were arrested in connection with the crime, but were released due to lack of evidence.

Drotske said his stomach wound has healed nicely, but his right elbow can only become mobile again once that wound – which required skin grafting – carries the approval of the plastic surgeon.

He’s back at work and expected to make a full recovery.

For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.