My mind is turning to sludge. I think it was Alexandria, the township just next to Sandton. How a cesspool could get a pretty name like that I dunno. We were doing a late afternoon patrol in our Buffel. There was supposed to be a poliesman with us, but he was busy, and we decided to take a drive, then go home. I’d been invited to a braai that night and there was a pretty girl I wanted to chat to.
We came around a corner into a open area of veld. And the first thing I saw were people scattering. A few people were still milling around. Lying at their feet was some poor sod with a tyre around his neck. He was soaked – I assumed it was petrol. He’d been beaten up pretty badly, and he was barely conscious. The driver (his name was Jannie and he came from Standerton, and I have no idea why I should remember that after 20 years) gunned the Buffel and headed straight for them, hooting.
It all happened in slow motion. The one shit looked me straight in the eye, bent down and lit the petrol. Then he stood up and gave me the middle finger. So I shot him. Another guy threw a brick at the burning man’s head. I shot him too.
Three of my guys peeled off the top of the Buffel with blankets and a fire extinguisher. They managed to removed the tyre with the barrels of their R4’s, sprayed the poor oke till he looked like a snowman, and threw two blankets over him. He was still moving, but he didn’t look too good.
The signals tiffie got hold of the cops while the rest of the guys made a hurried perimeter defence. Everyone was a bit shocked. There was no one in sight. Just as well, the troepe weren’t into winning hearts and minds right then.
I got shat out by some police captain for not doing things by the book while a medic tried to keep the poor man alive. The fuck wanted to know how many rounds I'd fired and wanted me to produce the empty doppies!! Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening writing out my statement in longhand (no computers in those days). All the troepe were interviewed, and I was confined to quarters. A bokkop major popped into my room just before dinner and told me the cops had decided the shootings were legit and they wouldn’t press charges. But that the paperwork will still take some time.
The braai was good, but the pretty chick was there with a huge rugby forward. What a fucked up day.
Some of the overseas readers may not be familiar with necklacing - the term used for throwing a tyre over someone's head and setting him on fire.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you would remember that fellows name after all of these years Phil. Do you wonder about him? Is he alive and well now? Safe because of you and your fellow men?
ReplyDeleteOccasionally one of the boys at the bar will bring up Vietnam or even Korea, and the entire bar will get quiet as a story is told, sometimes followed by yet another story, and sometimes followed by a silence so quiet yet loud with deep thought.
Deep thought even from those like me. Who are lucky enough to have never experienced it.
Man that is awful. Its amazing how things like that can stick with you so vividly. I think you and your guys reacted perfectly in that situation and I definitely applaud your actions. Its so hard to believe that scum (on the receiving end of your R4s) like that walk the streets and can do such things. And I'm sorry that your date didn't work out! As always a great post. You really have a natural story-telling ability!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I feel obliged to tell you that in Iraq every time there was a shooting, or we took detainees, detailed statements had to be hand-written out. Some things never change eh?