Sword killing sparks fears of satanic ritual deaths

Brian Hayward WEEKEND POST REPORTER haywardb@avusa.co.za

THERE are fears there could be a repeat of the horrific samurai sword slaying at a Krugersdorp school which stunned the nation this week as bored teenagers delve into sub-cultures in which killing, drug use and self-mutilation are encouraged.

Psychologists warn that the inability of parents and schools to recognise when teenagers are troubled or involved in potentially lethal activities could result in scenarios where they play out their fantasies among their peers – as happened at the Nic Diederichs Technical High School in Krugersdorp on Monday with tragic consequences.

Teenagers in the Eastern and Southern Cape – like their peers in other parts of the world – are also falling prey to a dark new sub-culture known as “Emo”, according to counsellors.

Emo, short for emotional, stems from the alternative US music scene and refers to teens who dress in black, wear dark make-up, show no emotion and listen to bands with lyrics about death and depression. It has already claimed at least one life – that of British 13-year-old Hannah Bond – late last year, after she hanged herself from her bunk bed.

Fast-eroding family values with parents either absent or working longer hours to pay off mounting debts and bonds, as well as schools unwilling to be proactive in helping troubled pupils, have been blamed as the reason why growing numbers of teens are turning to destructive sub-culture groups and even satanism to find meaning and acceptance.

The horrific slaying of Krugersdorp pupil Jacques Pretorius, 16, and subsequent stabbing of a fellow pupil and two staff members, allegedly at the hands of Morné Harmse, 18, wielding a curved- bladed samurai sword, sent shock waves around South Africa. Pretorius was buried in Krugersdorp yesterday.

According to the education department and police, Harmse, who is yet to stand trial, is believed to have been involved in satanism, while his teachers and fellow pupils said he was withdrawn and depressed.

Harmse, who is believed to have idolised US heavy metal band Slipknot and allegedly wore a mask inspired by the band during the attack, was also a victim of bullying from a young age, his parents divulged on Thursday.

Satanism and other occult-related practices are again flaring up in the region after subsiding in the mid-‘90s as teens dabble in dark, aggressive and sometimes deadly customs in a bid to find acceptance they don‘t find at home or on the school grounds, warn psychologists and counsellors.

Heavy metal music, murder-orientated video games and television shows were further leading impressionable teens down the road of self-destruction, they said.

A counsellor at a prominent Port Elizabeth school said she had seen a definite rise in aggression among pupils.

“We are certainly seeing more extreme versions of aggression,” she said. “Schools don‘t have the resources to do weapon searches and even if they do, where does it end? Are scissors considered weapons? I have dealt with many pupils struggling to handle their aggression, because often it‘s an impulse control mechanism they don‘t know how to master.”

James Lottering, former co-ordinator of the occult-related crimes unit in the region, said he had witnessed the new Emo trend first-hand.

“There‘s this new thing going around called Emo, where teens slash (cut) themselves to prove they feel no pain. They want to see the blood flowing because they feel dead inside,” said Lottering, who famously worked with former colleagues Neville Goldman and Kobus Jonker in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s in the fight against widespread satanism in the region.

“Two months ago I helped a 14- year-old boy from a prominent (Port Elizabeth) school who was cutting himself. He told me he was involved in a group at school who were into Emo. His parents had no idea.”

Yesterday, Lottering said he was on his way to help a 16-year- old girl from an “upper-class area”, who was also believed to be involved in Emo.

The wide-spread belief that satanism was no longer a problem was a myth, said Jonker, who blamed absent and uninvolved parents, violent lyrics in heavy metal music, as well as teenagers‘ unsupervised internet usage, for the surge in occult interest.

“Parents don‘t care what‘s going on at home any more and many times they haven‘t got time to deal with their children,” Jonker said. “And, of course, some (websites), CDs and DVDs are also very influential and bad for them. Parents often don‘t set the example for their children and it‘s getting worse.”

Bullying in schools also went a long way to pushing teens into dangerous sub-cultures, psychologists warned.

“In my opinion violent video games are more dangerous than heavy metal music, because these violent visuals are bombarding (teenagers) every day and they involve killing, and for younger children death is not a reality because they can‘t grasp its consequences,” said Knysna educational psychologist Beryl Lello.

Counsellors said troubled teens were typically drawn to heavy metal music, which they identified with and were influenced by in their depressed state – a ticking bomb which could lead to similar incidents as the Krugersdorp slaying.

They said when parents failed to enforce rules and boundaries for their children, it led to dysfunctionality.

“Parents do have a role to play and teens want love and respect. They need their parents now, more than ever, during this stage of their development. They need boundaries,” said Port Elizabeth guidance consultant Kathy Balshaw. “After love, teens need structure and building a relationship is key.”

Clinical psychologist Melissa Riordan, of Port Elizabeth, said: “There is a lot of negativity and it‘s incredibly hard for them to deal with it.”

SCHOOLYARD violence is becoming increasingly common in South Africa: Monday morning: A Krugersdorp technical high school erupts in chaos after 18-year-old pupil Morne Harmse allegedly severs the carotid artery of 16-year-old pupil Jacques Pretorius, killing him, before stabbing another pupil and two gardeners in the head. Monday midday: A 15-year-old Durban pupil wielding a screwdriver threatens to kill his teacher when she questions him about some items of clothing. Monday afternoon: A 17-year-old Eldorado Park pupil opens fire on fellow pupils playing after school, but no one is hurt. Tuesday: In Heidelberg, Gauteng, a 16-year-old Hoër Volkskool pupil survives after being stabbed in a fight with a fellow pupil. Thursday: Three northern KwaZulu-Natal pupils, all 17, are charged with the murder of fellow pupil Nobuhle Khumalo, 17, after attacking her with knobkerries last month. Nobuhle returned home where she died from head injuries. Earlier this month: An Mpumalanga high school pupil, 17, is stabbed to death by a fellow pupil, 18, after an argument. June: A West Rand pupil, 16, is beaten with a pipe before being stabbed to death by three pupils on the sports field in Bekkersdal. September 2007: East Rand pupil S‘busiso Ndlovu, 16, dies after he is stabbed in the chest by a fellow pupil, allegedly during a fight over a cellphone. August 2007: A 14-year-old Humansdorp Secondary School pupil is stabbed during an argument with a fellow Grade 9 classmate. May 2007: Eerste River pupil Moegamat Kannemeyer, 17, dies after a fellow pupil stabs him in the neck with a pair of scissors.

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