The 60-year-old woman who shot dead an intruder in her Somerset West home thought she and her husband had moved to a "safe paradise" two months ago, and has since had sleepless nights.
She had feared for her life when the intruder stormed at her around 3am last Friday, with a TV and knife in his hands, after she had warned him, "I am going to shoot you", Die Burger reported.
The Heldervue resident, who was alone with her mother (88) as her husband was on a hunting trip, had woken up at 1am from a strange noise, then again at 2am, when she prayed and went to fetch her Bible.
"At about 3, 3.30 I heard something break. I came out of the room and saw the light of a torch. I ran to fetch my revolver," she said.
She had even warned the intruder that "God didn't want her to shoot him", but this had failed to deter him. A wrestling match ensued after he had stormed at her, with him turning the revolver, with her finger on the trigger, into her face.
"I thought I'd shoot him in the leg and God could then still save his soul." But when she pulled the trigger, after having managed to turn the revolver away from her face by shouting "Jesus, Jesus", which gave her strength, the bullet hit a major artery and he ended up dying on the steps of her front porch.
"When I talk about it all, I can see everything happening again. I have never experienced anything as traumatic. I only saw the knife in his hand. It was an incredible shock... I feel as if I've lost my head. I haven't slept for two nights."
She realised afterwards the intruder had been aware all the while that she was awake. Her husband returned immediately from his hunting trip and they have since increased security at the premises. "We aren't going to allow anyone to chase us away from our new-found paradise," she said.
Somerset West CPF spokesperson Billy Smith said: “It is unfortunate that people have to defend themselves to this extent, but we live in such a time where it is necessary to protect your family.
“The public is frustrated with crime levels and is doing what they can to protect them from becoming victims. Because the woman was home alone, she had to do what was needed to defend herself."