ALMOST 25 years after almost losing his life when he was shot by a crazed gunman who went on a killing spree in Ladysmith, former police hero Marius Needham on Monday came within seconds of death.
Needham, who now lives in Durban but works in Richards Bay twice a week, was travelling to work when he noticed construction workers waving at him just after he passed the Mtunzini toll plaza on the N2.
Soon thereafter, two men drove up next to him and frantically indicated he should pull over.
‘I knew they weren’t trying to hijack me or something. Their faces just looked genuine,’ Needham told the Zululand Observer.
‘I had no idea what was wrong. Only when I tried to apply the brakes and there was no response did I think something was amiss.’
Unbeknown to him, his car had caught fire, flames billowing from underneath the engine compartment.
He let the car slow sufficiently and pulled off to the side of the road.
‘When I opened my door the flames were spewing out from behind the tire,’ he said.
But Needham, who has been wheelchair bound ever since that fateful day on 21 January 1992, was stuck.
‘Fortunately the guys who alerted me also stopped and ran up and helped me out of the car. They even went back to retrieve some of my belongings.
‘If it wasn’t for them, I would be gone.’
Seconds later, the car was engulfed in a searing ball of fire, reducing the specially-modified Renault to a molten mess.
Needham was wounded during a police chase in 1992, the Magnum .357 round entering his just above his left hip and exiting through his right shoulder.
He was involved in the chase to capture Carel Johannes Delport, a man who went on a killing spree after arguing with his father on their farm just outside Ladysmith.
Delport’s shot and killed nine people, including his father Marthiens, and wounded a further 19 before he was arrested in possession of thousands of rounds of ammunition and several firearms.
He would later be found guilty and was incarcerated for 22 years, some say in a mental hospital.
But for Needham, who says he has had numerous brushes with death over the years, this story is yet another lucky escape.
‘I’ve had some close shaves, but it seems they just can’t get rid of me,’ he laughed.
Needham wishes to know who his two Samaritans were. ‘During the frenetic rescue mission I never thought to get their names.’
Anyone with information about the two Samaritans can contact the ZO offices on 035 799 0500 or send an email to kyle@zob.co.za
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