TZANEEN – What started as an ordinary walk home from the gym turned into a terrifying ordeal for Denilson Gertze, a matric learner at Hoërskool Ben Vorster, but his quick thinking and courage helped him fight off an attacker and make it home safely.

Ordinary walk turns frightening

Early evening of November 3, Denilson decided to take his usual shortcut through the riverbed behind his house on his way to the gym. Along the way, he noticed a man sitting under a tree.

“He seemed friendly,” Denilson recalled. “I greeted him, and he greeted me back. Everything felt completely normal.”

Returning home later at around 18:00, and as it started to rain, the same man was still there, only this time, something felt off.

“He looked uneasy. I still greeted him, but as soon as I passed, he suddenly grabbed me from behind,” Denilson said.

Denilson fights back to break free

Startled but calm, Denilson tried to reason with him.

“I asked him what was wrong and tried to walk away, but he came at me again and swung a punch. I ducked and hit him twice in self-defence.”

The wet ground made it difficult to move, and Denilson slipped, giving the man an opening.

“He grabbed me around the neck and started choking me. I fought back, trying to break free,” he said. In the struggle, the man tore at Denilson’s pocket, trying to steal his cellphone.

Nearby help sends attacker fleeing

Then, suddenly, the sharp sound of a gun being loaded echoed through the rain, an unmistakable, chuk-chuk sound.

“I don’t know if it was a passerby or someone nearby, but that sound scared him off. He ran, and I ran too,” Denilson recounted.

Denilson said his ability to stay composed helped him.

“I gym and I know how to fight, so I wasn’t completely helpless. I didn’t want to hurt him, I just wanted to defend myself and get away. Staying calm helped me focus instead of panicking,” he said.

“If that passerby hadn’t come at that exact moment, things could have gone very differently. I believe it was God’s protection,” he said.