I HAVE FOUND PEACE

Her husband shot her in the back and changed her life forever, but a little dog has helped heal Elsanne's heart

- MEGHAN LAWRENCE

THE little dog shoots through the air like an arrow, landing neatly on her owner's lap and settling down as a gentle hand strokes her soft brown ears.

Jessie the Jack Russell is Elsanne Kamffer's best friend, constant companion and biggest comfort – the little creature who's helped her overcome some of her darkest days and brought joy and laughter to her life again.

And heaven knows, for a while Elsanne found little to laugh about. Life as she knew it changed in a few moments of terror when her ex-husband came to her office and shot her before turning the gun on himself and dying in hospital shortly afterwards.

Elsanne (54) was left paralysed and, although she still hopes for a miracle, will probably be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. But Jessie has healed her heart, she says, and made her realise there's still plenty of purpose in her life.

She will never forget the day her ex, Kobus Kamffer, pulled out the gun.

"It looked like a toy," she says. "I didn't think it was real."

But it was – and the damage it wreaked was catastrophic.

Elsanne was working in marketing at a training centre in Cape Town in October 2017 when Kobus called, saying he wanted to finalise divorce matters.

'BEFORE HE SHOT ME HE TOLD ME HE WAS JUST GETTING HIS AFFAIRS IN ORDER'

"Where are you?" he asked.

Elsanne, who had been married to him for 20 years, told him she was at work but thought nothing more of it. Less than an hour later he arrived at her building.

Kobus is here, a colleague told her, and Elsanne's heart sank. She didn't want to see him and tried to run down the fire escape but she didn't get a chance: he was there right in front of her, blocking her way.