Kimberley - A Kimberley family was held up at gunpoint in their home when three armed robbers removed the bars from the front gate and gained entry through a living room window.
The incident happened in Cassandra at around 4am on Friday morning.
The owner of the home, a prominent local businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he woke up on Friday morning and found three masked men in his bedroom the barrel of a gun was pointed just inches from his face.
“My family had all gone to bed as usual on Thursday night. My seven-year-old has the habit of getting up in the middle of the night and then his mother often decides to sleep in his bed while he sleeps with me,” the Cassandra resident told the DFA.
“It was a typical night, but when I woke up at around 4am there were three men in the room and one of them was pointing a gun at me.”
He said that the robbers were professional and managed to keep the family calm throughout the ordeal.
“They (the attackers) could even be described as jovial,” the resident said.
“They were well-dressed and were making jokes. It was clear that they knew exactly what they were doing and they managed to keep us calm and under control the whole time.
“I was praying that they would not hurt anyone and fortunately they did not do anything to harm us, except to tie us up with our own shoelaces and ransacking the whole house.”
The robbers, who kept on asking for money, managed to escape with several firearms and some very expensive jewellery.
“There is no reason why a businessman should ever need to take cash home, so fortunately there was not a lot of money to steal,” he added.
“They got away with some very expensive items, such as custom-made jewellery and my watches. I can not really put a cash value on what was taken.”
Although family members were not harmed during the robbery, he said that they were still rattled.
“These guys knew exactly what they were doing and what they were looking for. They ransacked our cupboards but did not hurt anybody.
“My wife, son and two daughters (aged 12 and 14) are still shaken and are struggling to come to terms with what had happened.
“I chose to buy a house in Cassandra because it is a quiet and peaceful area. I have always believed that making your house look like a fortress does nothing but draw attention.
“Still, I had a security system in place and electric fences, but even this did not prevent them from entering my home.”
The police on Sunday confirmed that they are investigating a case of armed robbery that took place in Cassandra at 4.10am on Friday morning.
The police said that three unknown men broke into the house while the complainant, his wife, son and two daughters were sleeping.
The attackers pointed firearms at the victims and demanded the keys to the safe. The suspects tied the hands and feet of the complainant, his wife and their seven-year-old son with shoe laces and neck ties. The two girls were asleep in another room during the incident.
The house was ransacked and the suspects fled with three firearms, an undisclosed amount of money, jewellery, two cell phones, Kruger coins, a tablet and a laptop.
“The police have requested anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Detective Warrant Officer Desmond Markgraaf on 082 302 0407, or call 08600 10 111 or SMS 32211. The investigation continues,” police spokesman, Constable Sergio Kock, said.
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