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'It was like a war' - woman describes how she shot farm attacker

Johannesburg - She fired a few shots at the two burglars in her garage and shouted at them to get out of there.

"The one listened and ran. The other started shooting at me and that’s when I realised there was trouble. I ran to my room to reload. Then he started firing at me in earnest," Christine* told Netwerk24.

"I thought: OK, shoot as much as you like, because I’ll be back. I’m just loading my gun. I’m coming again. It was like a war."

That’s when she shot him.

"He lay bundled up around the corner. I had fired three shots. I saw that he was struggling to get a grip on his gun and realised that I’d wounded him. 

"He staggered into the veld.

"I called security and they found the body in the veld. I’d shot him in the arm and the bullet had penetrated his body."

'Martial arts wouldn’t have helped at all'

Police said the attacker had fired 12 shots at her on Wednesday afternoon. Workers on the farm just outside Vereeniging said they recognised the man as someone who had robbed them before.

Christine’s son also lives on the farm, but wasn’t home on Wednesday.

She has been attacked before.

"You know, we’ve been living here for 23 years. Why should I move now? There are so many good memories.

"Now I can’t even walk around in the garden without my gun," she said, the firearm lying on the table next to her.

In the background, a sensor which is coupled to the alarm shows any movement around the house. She also keeps a close watch on the TV screen where she monitors several cameras on the yard.

Those who know her say she shouldn’t be underestimated and knows how to handle a firearm.

"I am comfortable with my gun and have offered to teach women how to shoot. Martial arts wouldn’t have helped at all."

*Police have advised that Christine’s real and surname not be used.

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