[imagesource: Thys Dullaart]

In August 2008, Morné Harmse (above) brought a Japanese ‘samurai’ sword known as a katana to Nic Diederichs Technical High School in Krugersdorp.

He used the sword to kill 16-year-old Jacques Pretorius, a fellow pupil at the school, and also wounded three others shortly before morning assembly.

During the attack, Harmse wore a mask similar to those worn by members of metal band Slipknot (in the image below), as well as an outfit the then Krugersdorp Police Captain Jacob Raboroko described as ‘ninja clothing’.

Harmse, who was 18 at the time of the attack, was tried and convicted of murder and three counts of attempted murder the following year, and sentenced to serve 20 years behind bars.

In court, Harmse said he planned the attack with three friends but they pulled out on the day. Raboroko says he told other learners that Satan had commanded him to kill someone, or he would be killed himself.

You can listen to the True Crime SA podcast on the murder here, and there’s also a short doccie on Amazon, but let’s focus on what’s happened this week.

On Monday, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) announced Harmse has been released on parole. Spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Harmse completed his legislated minimum detention period on 9 June 2019, and had appeared in front of the parole board roughly eight times.

They clearly saw something different to what clinical psychologist and criminologist Professor Gerard Labuschagne saw because he disagreed strongly when talking to News24.

Labuschagne assessed Harmse in 2019 and found that it would be “reckless” to release him on parole:

“The final conclusion was that he shouldn’t be released, and there is a strong possibility that he should never be released,” Professor Gerard Labuschagne told News24.

“[H]e had many more risk factors at that time that I was assessing him”, Labuschagne added…

Image: Foto24/Gallo Images via Getty Images/Getty]

Labuschagne said  Harmse’s behaviour had been problematic throughout his incarceration and he was involved in violent incidents, substance abuse, self-harm and damage to property…

“There had been violent incidents in the past two years again. He has never been a perfect prisoner and often lost his status and privileges. Even in the past two years, he had his privileges downgraded.”

On top of that worrying assessment, Jacques Pretorius’s family say that Harmse showed no remorse during the 2019 hearing.

In December of that year, Harmse met with the family as part of the parole victim offender participation (VOP).

Speaking after news of his release on parole, Jacques’ aunt Leonie Pretorius said the decision was “very sad but it’s true”.

This from TimesLIVE:

The Pretorius family was not invited to attend the latest parole process but were informed of Harmse’s release via email on March 3.

“There is nothing we can do about it. It’s one of those things that you have to accept I guess,” said Leonie…

Image: Krugersdorp News

“We actually did not want him to get parole because the family stays in Krugersdorp and he also lives in Krugersdorp. That was a factor because they might bump into him and you don’t know what will happen,” Leonie said…

“He is emotionless. I don’t think he’s mentally stable. He wasn’t a model prisoner at all. I don’t know on what basis he was released on parole,” said Leonie.

Jacques, pictured above, would have turned 30 this year.

In response to the pushback, the DCS defended the decision to grant Harmse parole. The department issued a response saying that Labuschagne is entitled to his opinion, but they have “competent specialists in the employ of DCS assessing inmates and their readiness for social reintegration”.

[sources:news24&timeslive]