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2008-01-12
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Pretoria - She never thought an appointment for a cut and tint would turn into an appointment with death.

But on Sunday Rietie Swaneopoel, 63, could smile again after her nightmare experience in a Vanderbijlpark hairdresser, where she and six other women were held hostage by a man wearing a dress.

In the hours before the drama ended shortly after 02:00 on Saturday, when the hostage-taker was killed by a single bullet fired by a police sniper, Swanepoel and some of the other hostages prayed out loud in the firm belief that the 9mm pistol in his hand was real.

"When he put the pistol to my head it felt like cold steel," said Lidia Jacobs on Sunday. She was the last to be released.

Only after the man had been fatally shot, did police determine that it was a toy gun.

The hostage drama started about 15:30 on Friday at Merle's Hair Boutique when the man in a dress walked in, said Swanepoel and Jacobs.

"I wanted to make an appointment for a cut and tint, and decided to find out from Christelle (her hairdresser, who was also held hostage) if she had an opening on Saturday. Christelle said she could help me immediately," said Swanepoel.

Her hair had already been tinted and Christelle Jordaan, the hairdresser, had just started cutting it when the "woman" walked in.

"Christelle turned white, collapsed to the floor and started shaking. When I bent down to rub her back she told me the man (dressed as a woman) had a gun. We prayed out loud. I also prayed for him that God would keep him calm."

During the three hours she was held hostage she hid her car keys and cellphone inside her bra, said Swanepoel.

"I wanted to put my purse in my pocket, but it was too big, so I took out my bank cards and also put them in my bra."

Jacobs was held for the full 11 hours.

"I was sitting there with wet hair. They'd just rinsed it when the man walked in."

She quickly realised that it upset the man when the women cried and decided to remain as calm as possible.

She also prayed and at one stage told the man he should not follow the devil, but God, said Jacobs.

"He seemed ashamed and looked down. He ordered coffee and blankets for us. He looked like a good person."

The shot that ended the drama went off right next to her. On Sunday she could still not believe what had happened.