Speculation has been rife following the bizarre sword killing at a school in Krugersdorp this week. Had this been the United States, the killer would probably have used a gun, with far higher casualties. And, as so often seems to happen in cases of US gun slayings, the perpetrator would have chosen to end it with a bullet to his own brain.
In the case of the killing at the Nic Diederichs Technical High School, the killer, Morne Harmse, entered the school with a sword and stabbed and killed a boy just before school assembly started. He also stabbed two gardeners — one in the back, the other in the face.
He then threw the sword on the ground and was escorted to the principal’s office.
Much has been made of Harmse’s supposed fondness for the heavy-metal band Slipknot, but it’s anyone’s guess to what was going through his head at the time of the attack.
His parents said their 18-year-old son was the victim of bullying and that they had never realised the emotional toll this must have taken on their child. “We suspect that a combination of factors such as stress, a low self-esteem, wrong influences and an absolute feeling of powerlessness caused our child to commit this terrible deed,” they said.
They also said parents should “have a deep conversation” with their children to ensure that everything is in order, and “we appeal to people not to judge us”.
This seems to suggest that they had not had a “deep conversation” with their child for some time.
Whenever a school slaying occurs, there is an outpouring of grief as well as endless rounds of questions: What tipped him over the edge? Who is to blame? What was his home life like? Answers to these questions will be cold comfort for the parents and friends of the murdered child.
For its part, the Young Communist League said this incident was a product of a capitalist society that had no respect for human life.
The young communists said this state of affairs was further entrenched through capitalist media that desensitised society to violence and glorified thuggery through movies, music and television shows.
| FULL SPEED AHEAD |
NOT SO FAST |
Khotso Mokoena
South Africa’s Olympic fortunes looked somewhat dire — new records are fantastic, yes, but medals do count — until this long-jumper earned a silver medal for his country and lifted everyone’s spirits after our much-vaunted swimming team fared not as well as they had hoped. |
 Morne Harmse
This teenager, who killed a fellow pupil and hurt three more people with a sword this week, seems to be a very troubled young man — his shocked parents have pointed to bullying in his past, among others. But is modern-day society leaving its children to fend for themselves? Perhaps this is a wake-up call for parents everywhere to be more involved in their children’s lives. |
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