2008 mass stabbing in Nic Diederichs Nic Diederichs Technical High School, Krugersdorp
A student armed with a samurai sword killed one peer and injured three others at a South African high school, leading to a murder conviction and twenty-year sentence.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- 17 August 2008
- Weapon used
- Samurai sword
- Fatalities
- 1 (Jacques Pretorius, age 16)
- Injured
- 3 (two gardeners and one pupil)
- Attacker's sentence
- Twenty years' imprisonment
- Attacker's age at time
- 18 years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Morné Harmse, an 18-year-old matric student, had harboured violent intentions for over a year, influenced by an interest in Satanism and the Columbine High School massacre. He sought infamy and had spent months immersed in the music of heavy metal band Slipknot, whose imagery he adopted for the attack.
On 17 August 2008, Harmse donned a mask resembling a Slipknot band member and clothing similar to singer Corey Taylor, then attacked four people at Nic Diederichs Technical High School in Krugersdorp with a samurai sword. Grade 9 pupil Jacques Pretorius, aged 16, was killed, while two campus gardeners and another pupil were seriously injured.
Harmse pleaded guilty to one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison. The attack drew public attention to influences including heavy metal music and Satanism on youth violence in South Africa, and prompted wider discussion about school safety.