Calm, courageous child hero
Published: February 13, 2005
His courage and ability to deal calmly with a situation probably saved the life of 10-year-old Kevin Arendse.
So said Terence Timmet, principal of Montevideo Primary School in Montana, on Friday.
Kevin survived a hostage drama on Thursday when he was held at gunpoint by Patrick Edwards, 21, of Valhalla Park for about three hours.
Edwards was later shot and killed by police sharpshooters.
Edwards shot teacher Joy van der Heever in her shoulder before taking Kevin hostage.
Van der Heever is in a stable condition in N1 Hospital.
According to Western Cape education minister Cameron Dugmore, Proteas cricketers Paul Adams and Herschelle Gibbs are expected to visit Kevin at the school on Monday.
Kevin, an ardent cricket enthusiast, is expected to be back at school by then.
Kevin met Die Burger on Friday when the photographer visited the school to take his picture.
Apparently, he and his mother, Deidre Arendse, were counselled by a psychiatrist at the school.
Timmet said: “Kevin is a very calm child and apparently offered his abductor sugar water to calm him.”
Die Burger was told Kevin continuously talked to Edwards in an effort to calm him.
According to Edwards’s grandmother, Frieda Edwards, her grandson was a addict and under the influence of drugs when he took Kevin hostage.
Western Cape education spokesperson Gert Witbooi said on Friday that Dugmore had been “much impressed” by the boy’s courage.
Although still traumatised, Kevin explained to the minister what had happened.
Dugmore also visited the school on Friday.
According to Timmet, only 40% of the pupils turned up on Friday as parents were nervous about sending their children to school.
“I was so relieved that not a single learner was injured in the incident.”
Johan Pretorius of the education department said pupils as well as teachers received counselling on Friday.
“We really did not expect the school to become the target of a hostage drama,” he said.
In the meantime, Sadtu provincial secretary Don Pasqualie has appealed to the education department to deploy more security officers at schools.
Witbooi said: “The incident underlined the fact that security measures at schools have to be evaluated and improved.”
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