Faith shields bullet biting cop
The road to recovery has been long and hard, with many devastating setbacks
WHEN Sergeant Klaas Viljoen took his stack of dockets and departed from Ngwelezana court on a fateful morning 14 years ago, he had no idea that his life as he knew it would abruptly and irrevocably change within seconds.
As the Empangeni detective and father of three exited the building, seven bullets tore through his body, two hitting him in the head and five ripping through his stomach, back and neck.
The shooting was believed to have been linked to an investigation he was involved in at the time. No suspect was ever arrested in connection with the attempted murder.
But instead of dying in the hail of bullets on the steps of the courthouse, Viljoen miraculously survived the brutal assassination attempt.
Family, friends and colleagues held vigil at his bedside at Netcare The Bay Hospital’s ICU, preparing for the worst, but fervently praying that somehow, against all odds, he would pull through.
Their prayers were answered. Despite the shrapnel of two bullets lodged in his brain, the removal of a large part of his intestines, severe damage to his eyesight and seizures, Viljoen was wheeled out of hospital by overjoyed family and colleagues three months after his near fatal encounter.
Surgeons did their best to repair the extensive organ damage, but agreed that the shrapnel could not be removed without serious risk.
The consequences of such a delicate operation could have left him worse off or even cost his life.
Setbacks
The road to recovery has been long and hard, with many devastating setbacks, including chronic pain, septicemia and epileptic type seizures.
The once big man shrunk away rapidly and the frequency of the fits increased.
But every time his loved ones held their breaths and prepared for the worst, Viljoen somehow pulled through.
Astoundingly, after working in the private sector, he returned to the detective branch of the Richards Bay SAPS in 2012, despite serious health issues and chronic pain.
In 2014 he virtually spent the whole year in hospital. He also had a fit while driving, veered off the road and crashed his car.
The years of suffering also took a huge toll on the family, emotionally and financially.
According to his wife, Lenadia, the seizures caused him to become aggressive, unpredictable and paranoid.
The couple have now turned to a Durban neurosurgeon for help and an attempt to remove parts of the shrapnel.
‘The doctor believes it may not be epileptic seizures, but rather the result of the pieces of metal,’ says Lenadia.
‘Viljoen has been taken off all medication and is currently in hospital for observation to monitor his reactions.
‘The doctor will within the next day or two decide whether to operate or not.
‘We are hopeful that with new methods, Klaas may be able to live a normal life. He has come so far.
‘He is a wonderful husband and father – he returned to his calling as a police officer despite being ill and in pain.
‘We are praying for another miracle – we know it is possible.’
In the line of duty
Many dedicated police officers are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty every year.
Last year in November, Captain Errol Tustin, formerly stationed at the SAPS Empangeni Dog Unit, died 14 years after he was shot through the throat with a 9 mm Parabellum.
Despite virtually no chances of survival, Tustin clung to life and overcame paralysis. Although crippled, he even returned to an office job at SAPS.
He later fell down the stairs of the first floor office which was assigned to him despite his constant pain and disability.
He was medically boarded and reportedly died of heart failure.
The local legend and decorated officer was 45 years old.
He was hailed for many heroic arrests together with his dog Bishop.
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