Krugersdorp schoolboy Morne Harmse will be sentenced for killing a fellow pupil with a sword when he appears in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Monday.
Harmse killed 16-year-old Jacques Pretorius with an ornamental Samurai sword at the Nic Diederichs Technical High School on the West Rand last August.
On that day his lawyer read an affidavit that he had sworn to: ”I admit that I, on the day in question, I unlawfully and intentionally killed Jacques Jacobus Pretorius by hitting or chopping him with a sword.”
He also attacked fellow pupil Stephanus Hendrik Antonie Bouwer and two gardeners Lesiba Samuel Manamela and Tsiamo Joseph Kodisang.
The court heard that some pupils at the school had spoken about a plan to get people to take notice of them.
Harmse said he told his friends that he would wear a mask and bring a sword to school. The sword was an ornamental sword owned by his father.
Harmse said Marco Fourie had said he would bring a ”rolling bomb” and that another pupil Max Brechlin said he would use one of his masks and a sword.
On the day of the incident Fourie brought a fake bomb and said he had decided against bringing the guns.
Brechlin put on one of the masks in the cloakrooms, but then took it off and put down the sword when the school bell rang.
”Marco gave me the ‘bomb’ and said I mustn’t pull the wire, because it would explode. I stood a little way back and pulled the wire. Nothing happened and I threw the bomb down. Because the bell had rung, they all left,” his testimony continued.
A little while later, Brechlin, Fourie and a group of pupils came up to him and laughed at him.
”When another group of pupils walked past us, I unlawfully and intentionally, with one swing of the sword, struck at one of them [Jacques Pretorius].”
Immediately after Jacques fell to the ground, Harmse said he unlawfully and intentionally hit Bouwer who was standing nearby with the sword against his leg.
”He asked why I had done that and, without answering, I again swung the sword unlawfully and intentionally at him, hitting him on the left-hand side of his head.
”At this stage Lesiba Samuel Manamela and Tsiamo Joseph Kodisang came walking in our direction. I moved towards them and unlawfully and intentionally swung the sword in the direction of Lesiba and Tsiamo,” he said.
Social workers were expected to have compiled a pre-sentencing report for Monday’s appearance. — Sapa