Last November, Naka Drotské ended up in hospital, fighting for his life after taking on four criminals during an armed robbery at his brother’s Pretoria home.

He was hailed as a hero, with brother Tinus saying that his family may well have been murdered if Naka hadn’t gone on the offensive.

At one stage, it looked as though he may not make it, but thankfully he should now make a full recovery.

Speaking with TimesLIVE, Naka opened up about why he made those split-second decisions that night:

“I was sitting on the outside patio with my back to the garden when I heard Os and my brother, Thinus, screaming, ‘No, no, no.’

“When I turned around I saw four guys, wearing balaclavas, armed with guns, and spraying tear gas as well. Instinct kicked in. I didn’t believe they were looking for money because our mobile phones and wallets were on the table in front of us. They saw that.

“They tried to force us into the house and I felt that if they got us in the house we were going to die. I knew that my brother’s two little boys [aged 13 and 11] were in the house as well as his partner’s daughter [aged 6], and they would be in danger.”

Drotske, a fearless hooker in his day, showed no regard for his own personal safety, even though his subsequent injuries left him close to death. He decided that attack was the best form of defence.

“I believed they had a different agenda and I just decided to attack them,” Drotske said. “There were some steps leading off the stoep and I knew if I could knock them down they would lose their balance and I could get my hands on a weapon.

“So I targeted the middle man – the leader – and took the other two or three with me down the stairs and onto the lawn. I was wrestling on top of him when he shot me in the stomach, another guy shot me through the arm and a third attacker shot but missed.

“My brother’s son had in the meantime pressed the panic button and by then sirens sounded and luckily they all ran away.

“My adrenalin was pumping and we all rushed back into the house and locked it. That was when Os saw me and said, “I think you’ve been shot.’ I assessed the wound and told him to get me to a hospital quickly.”

As Os raced Naka to the hospital, he veered off the road and two tyres burst, but thankfully two men picked them up and they made it to Montana Hospital in time.

He has now had around 10 operations, and nearly died after one of the wounds became infected, spending another 37 days in hospital.

Sadly, it looks like justice won’t be delivered:

As far as Drotske is aware none of the attackers has been arrested, but his brother no longer lives in the house.

“The police initially caught two alleged attackers but they were released due to lack of evidence,” Drotske said. “My brother was renting that house and they left the same day. They have not been back since. Subsequently we have heard that the crime rate is very high in that area.”

Earlier this week, he started to do some work on in the sports supplement business he owns with Du Randt, adding that he now appreciates the smaller things in life and is thankful for a second chance.

[source:timeslive]