By localnew 
“I hid under a bed just to survive” — pregnant woman recounts horrifying hostel massacre in Pretoria
A woman — seven months pregnant — has described the terror she experienced as gunmen stormed a hostel in Pretoria early yesterday, killing 12 people. She asked to remain anonymous for her safety.
In her chilling account, she says she was awoken by the crack of automatic gunfire echoing through narrow corridors of the hostel. Rather than flee, her first instinct was to protect her unborn child.
“I don’t know how I moved so fast,” she said. With trembling voice she recalled rolling onto the floor and crawling under a bed — praying her baby wouldn’t move or make a sound. She heard boots, shouting, then more gunshots. “They were so close I felt the bed shake,” she said.
At one point, a gunman entered her room, paused as though searching for movement. She saw his feet. In that terrifying moment, she held her breath — convinced that the slightest motion would mean death. Miraculously, he moved on. She remained still, powerless and silent.
When the attackers finally left and silence fell, it wasn’t relief but shock. She emerged to discover the bodies of two neighbours she had spoken to earlier that night.
Emergency services later described the scene as “catastrophic”: rooms riddled with bullet holes, survivors stumbling into the streets in panic, others still trapped inside.
Though deeply shaken, the woman says what she remains thankful for is simple yet profound: “My child survived. We survived. But I will never forget the sound of death walking past me.”
Authorities have launched a manhunt for the shooters, urging anyone with information to come forward as the community reels from one of Pretoria’s deadliest hostel attacks in years.
Image source: Supplied