By Estelle Ellis
After he was shot every time he tried to go near his dead son, a Leeu-Gamka man collapsed and, with the taste of blood in his mouth, called out to his boy, the Cape High Court has heard.
This was the evidence of Christiaan Barnard senior in the trial of Freddie Sopeli, Malinge Khahlu and Thabang Simaru on Monday. The three men have pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder, four of attempted murder and charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, pointing a firearm and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. They all exercised their right to remain silent.
The state alleges they attacked the Pienaar family at their homestead on Lillydale farm near Kuils River on Friday December 10 1999 at about 8pm. Christiaan Barnard junior, 21, of Leeuw-Gamka, was killed.
Sobbing bitterly while giving evidence, Barnard senior told the court that they had arrived at Lillydale shortly before 8pm to deliver some goods.
Soon afterwards they were outside talking to Karen Pienaar, daughter of the house, while the farmer, Christian Pienaar had gone to the farm stall to serve three men.
Barnard senior was sitting behind the steering wheel, while Christiaan was standing outside. Barnard senior's cellphone rang and he answered a call from his son Wicus in Leeu-Gamka.
"Suddenly I heard a sound like people throwing things on to the ground. I never thought that it was shots. I saw a man with a firearm on my right. I had a terrible fright. I immediately knew that it was the people who wanted to buy things at the farm stall.
"The man with the revolver mumbled: 'This is a hold-up.' He almost immediately shot at me. I heard two shots. I felt a terrible pain.
" 'My son, my son, they are shooting at me,' I told Wicus. He said I must not make a joke like that. I told him: 'If I don't survive this, you must go on with your life. I love you.'
"I noticed that Christiaan was no longer standing next to me. I switched the cellphone off. I realised that I had to get out of the truck to where my son was. I don't know if I fell out or climbed out. A terribly cold feeling came over me. My son was lying on the ground with his hands under his chin. It looked as if he was praying.
"I did not know that he was shot. I thought he was praying. 'It is a good thing that you dived for cover,' I told him."
But Christiaan, unknown to his father, was already dead.
"I realised that I had to get away from the truck. I was scared that the gunman might return and start to shoot at Christiaan. I wanted him to rather focus on me. I moved away from the truck. I felt paralysed. I moved with great difficulty.
"When I could not get away, I decided that I would rather be with my child. I tried to go closer to him. I saw the man with the revolver about 2m from the truck. He shot me again. I felt a terrible pain in my left side.
"I saw a second person standing close to him. It looked as if he was encouraging the gunman to shoot me. He shot again. My body was a burning mass of fire. I don't know if that bullet struck me. The gunman moved to the dining room door.
"By this time I had to concentrate very hard to stay on my feet. I don't know what happened to the gunman after that. I collapsed onto the ground.
"I intensely wanted to be with my child. I managed to get up again. The gunman was approaching me again. He aimed the revolver at me. 'Now, boer, now you die,' he told me. I knew that he would kill me this time. The bullet struck my arm and my chest. It was a frightening shock. I could not breathe anymore. The blood was streaming into my nose and mouth. I could not reach my child any longer. I collapsed.
"I lost consciousness. Then I started shouting. 'Christiaan, come here! Christiaan! Christiaan, come here!' Then I lost consciousness again.
"When I woke up, the police were standing over me. There were ambulance personnel as well. I realised that there was a problem with my son. He was not answering my calls.
"I told them to leave me and pay attention to my son. They said my son was fine. I became very frightened. I looked back and I saw my son still lying at the truck.
"When they took me to the ambulance, a policeman brought me my cellphone. It was my wife. 'You have to be strong,' she said. 'Our son is gone.'
"I was in a coma for seven days. I missed my son's funeral.
"As I stand here today, I am not the man I used to be. I cannot look life in the face any more. My beautiful family was torn apart. My beautiful son was torn away from me. I don't trust anybody anymore.
"We could not have kids. Our son was an answer to our prayers. He never asked for anything, he only gave. This murder was so unnecessary. He was such a brilliant child. After Christiaan was killed, his brother Wicus never spoke to us anymore. He spends hours at his brother's grave. He broke the ceiling of his room with his bare hands when he heard that his brother died. 'You always talk of love,' he told me. 'Is that what you call love?'
"Can't someone just spread the message of how unnecessary this murder was and how much bitterness it caused? Why can't we live together in love?"
The trial continues. Acting Judge Ashton Schippers presides.