The tragic story of Pretoria's ghost Nurse Heather
Nurse Heather allegedly roamed the halls of Breytenbach Theatre when it was a make-shift hospital in 1918.
South Africa has many ghost stories, but the tragic tale of a nurse named Heather is among the saddest.
Heather is believed to have worked as a nurse at the Breytenbach Theatre in Pretoria during its use as a temporary hospital in 1918.
According to folklore, she was one of several nurses caring for patients at the former German community hall during the flu pandemic.
They worked tirelessly to help patients, especially children, who were seriously ill and on the verge of death.
The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known as the 'Spanish flu', killed around 6% of the South African population.
According to a report about the causes and consequences of the 1918 influenza, over 130,000 South Africans died, but some reports believe the death toll was over 300, 000.
Nurse Heather was among those who lost their lives. She allegedly died after contracting the flu from her patients, as the dedicated nurse refused to give up on the sick children.
Apparently, there were so many bodies at the make-shift hospital that some of them had to be buried underneath what is now the stage of the Breytenbach Theatre.
The cellar, directly below the stage, is thought to have been used as a burial site.
Legend has it that Nurse Heather is still on duty - as a ghost. Apparently, if you visit Breytenbach Theatre, which is located on Gerhard Moerdyk Street, you might catch a mysterious figure in your peripheral vision.
However, if you find the courage to turn around and look - poof - she disappears.
Some say you can still hear the cries of the sick children who lost their lives in the building.
As fascinating as the story of nurse Heather is, for many people, it is nothing but a folktale.
There are no official records that a nurse named Heather worked in the building during the flu pandemic, nor that she died there.
While there is no real evidence that she actually existed, you can't help but wonder if more than tragic memories were left behind in 1918.
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