‘HE repeatedly hit me on the head with a hammer. I think it was around 10 blows in total.
‘Although it was summer, homes became fortresses, security businesses and gun shops boomed – everyone was on edge.’
Peter Trollip recalls a fateful encounter with Simon Mpungose – infamously known as ‘The Hammerman’ – at his home in Empangeni in the early 80’s.
It’s a chilling tale often shared by many of Empangeni’s townsfolk, and recognised as one of the most notorious serial killing sprees.
Also read: ‘Hammer Man’s’ reign of terror revisited
Mpungose was given the name ‘Hammerman’ because he would break into homes in the dead of night and smash the sleeping occupants with a hammer before stealing their money and jewels.
It was 1982 and after gaining entry into the Trollip’s home, through the unbarred en-suite bathroom window, Mpungose proceeded to attack Peter with a hammer.
‘The first blow must have rendered me unconscious as I could not recall anything.
‘My wife awoke from the disturbance, jumped out of bed and switched on the light.’
‘According to my wife he headed towards her and she started screaming for my mother who was in the other room.’
Still somewhat concussed, Peter became alerted by his wife’s screams and sat up in his bed.
‘I thought l was dreaming.
‘l saw him showing my wife to be quiet, with his hammer raised, in an attempt to stop her screaming.
‘I managed to get out of bed although l was totally confused, but when I saw I was covered in blood my adrenalin kicked in and I headed towards him, which gave my wife time to get out the room.’
Attempting to fight back, Peter tried to land a punch but missed as his eyes were filled with blood.
‘He managed to land one more blow to my chest, ran past me and jumped out through the bathroom window.’
Peter, who was 34 at the time, said after Mpungose was caught it was duly noted his modus operandi was to immobilise the male adult and steal at leisure.
However, because his wife had woken, Mpungose had no choice but to attack her as well.
Disturbing legacy
Tuesday marked 31 years since Mpungose was sentenced to death.
It was the manner in which he killed his victims as well as his apparent psychotic behaviour that gained Mpungose global attention.
Internationally acclaimed online magazine, True Crime Library noted that in December 1983, Mpungose killed Graham and Margaretha Macaskill, both prison officers, and in February the following year he killed Justin and Terri Smith.
When he was brought to trial in November 1984, shortly after his arrest in February that same year, the Empangeni court was told Mpungose attacked many other people during violent robberies, but never touched the children of his victims.
During the trial Mpungose stated he wanted to die as he had had a hard life complicated by the actions of people who did not understand his plight.
Judge Justice Broome could find no extenuating circumstances, noting that Mpungose covered his hands with socks during the robberies to avoid leaving fingerprints and the fact the defendant was a psychopath was not a mitigating factor in law.
He sentenced him to hang, whereupon Mpungose threw his blue tracksuit into the public gallery, shouted, and threatened to expose his penis to the court, until he was restrained with handcuffs.
He was hanged a year later, on Friday, November 29th, 1985, in Pretoria.
Investigating the madness
In 1994 M&G journalist Cathy Powers issued information highlighting some of the country’s most haunting serial killings – and Simon Mpungose’s case was the first on her list.
Powers made reference to South African journalist, Rian Malan’s gruelling, blood-soaked book titled ‘My Traitor’s Heart’.
Released in 1990 the book, which became an instant classic, was published during the height of the anti-apartheid movement and was based on the brutal account of the ways South Africans killed each other.
Simon Mpungose featured strongly in Malan’s writings.
Having closely followed Mpungose’s case, Malan related how Mpungose, orphaned as a child, fell into a life of crime that culminated in a murder spree in which he bludgeoned people with a hammer.
Malan’s account of the court case left no doubt as to how the cruelties of apartheid drove Mpungose to his crimes.
Most journalists would have stopped there, but Malan dug deeper.
He located Mpungose’s rural village – and discovered that he wasn’t an orphan at all.
Rather, he had been cast out of his community as a child over an ancient tribal superstition related to incest.
According to Malan, Mpungose told the Empangeni court he was fulfilling a dream he had had in prison 11 years earlier, in which he grew larger and stronger, broke out of jail and obliterated all the whites in his path.
Refusing a defence, he said: ‘It (the murders) is because of what I have witnessed happening to my fellow black men and also to me because of all that was done to me by the white people.’
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