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Jaap van Tonder was attacked outside his Brooklyn home by a gang of would-be robbers. Photo: Phill Magakoe
Fearing for his wife’s life as a robber held a gun to her head, an infuriated Pretoria resident took the law into his own hands and shot his attacker and at least one of his accomplices.
Jaap van Tonder, who is being hailed as a hero, simply had enough on Monday when he and his wife, Mari, were attacked as they stopped in the driveway of their Brooklyn home. The couple, who live opposite Pretoria Oos Primary and Pretoria Boys High schools, had just returned from a bank when at least three men, who are believed to have followed them, launched their lunch-time attack.
Stopping behind the couple, one of the gunmen ran up to them and put a gun to Mari van Tonder’s head as she climbed out of the car.
Frozen with shock, Mari van Tonder watched as her husband, realising that they were about to be robbed, fired at their attackers.
“I just froze. This man came at me out of nowhere,” she said.
“When I heard my husband screaming and then shooting I knew I was okay and that he was alive,” she added as a neighbour comforted her.
Jaap van Tonder fired at the man who was holding a gun to his wife’s head, wounded him in the chest and then chased him.
“I just grabbed my gun and started shooting. I shot until I had nothing left to shoot at. I’d just had enough. It was as simple as that,” he said.
“I was not going to let these thugs kill my wife or me or get away with our money.”
As the wounded gunman ran for the getaway car and climbed in, Jaap van Tonder pursued him, shooting at him.
He also fired at the man’s accomplices who, by then, were shooting at him from their vehicle.
As the men reversed from the driveway of his Roper Street home, Jaap van Tonder carried on firing, riddling their Mercedes-Benz with bullets.
“I was so angry. I was determined to do everything in my power to stop these guys,” he said.
Unable to keep up with the fleeing men, he abandoned his chase. The gunmen crashed into a vehicle driven by Pretoria University student Martin Zekveld, turned into Ambrose Street and escaped.
As Jaap van Tonder returned to check on his wife, the gunmen - some of whom are believed to have been seriously wounded - abandoned their car in William Street and hijacked a woman they had forced off the road.
Pushing a gun into her face and threatening to shoot her, they pulled the screaming woman from her car, a white VW Jetta, and then sped off in it.
When told that the gang had abandoned their silver Mercedes-Benz, Jaap van Tonder made his way to the scene, where residents hailed him as a hero.
“He could have been killed, but he didn’t think about it,” said a woman, who asked not to be named. “He was more concerned about stopping these guys than saving his own life. He is a hero.”
Sarel van Tonder (no relation) said it was good to know that there were people who were prepared to stand up to thugs.
“Too often people are afraid and rightly so, but it is fantastic when people like this guy come along and say ‘No more’,” he said.
Zekveld said he was driving from the university when he heard shots.
“I didn’t know what was happening. I heard the shots and then saw the car racing out of the driveway. It crashed into me before it raced off. It was so quick. You don’t even have time to realise what’s going on.”
Brooklyn police station commissioner Brigadier André Wiese said investigators found a 9mm pistol in the gang’s car. There was also blood in the car.
“At least one, if not more, were wounded during the shootout. We are searching the hospitals and are hoping to find the suspects soon.”
Wiese said Jaap van Tonder would not be charged as he had not done anything wrong.
“The man was defending himself and his family and could easily have been killed by those who were attacking him.” - Pretoria News
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Anonymous, wrote
Alan are you even remotely sane? I guess you have only been in South Africa 5 minutes. People are sick and tired of being threatened. Anyone would do the same to protect their wife or family. you are more concerned about these thugs' livelihood, their children (if they have any), their being underpriviledged. There are millions of poor underpriviledged in this country they do not all rob and kill and rape. and as for your concern for their children......maybe they should have thought about that before they did what they did. What about the children of countless victims? These thugs don't deserve their children then in my opinion. Well done Mr. van Tonder. WE SALUTE YOU!!!
Andile Nyanda, wrote
Sir i commend you for your bravery & courage - more men need to stand up to these thugs in the name of gaatvolness & protecting the lives of their loved ones.. Im very glad that in the process of your bravery you and your wife came up tops and unharmed..
yesplease!!!, wrote
this was an amazing act of courage and i would like the word spread around "ENOUGH". people should not be scared of carrying their fire arms around with them, but most importantly, they must willing and very capable of using them. Jaap is an excellent shot to have been able to shoot under those circumstances. if you have a fire arm you must get PROPER training
life choice, wrote
@Alan: the moment these criminals make the choice to rob, rape, hijack or murder someone, thier right as an SA citizen (if they are actually citizens) is null and void. I dont now suggest people start being vigilanties, but if you need to defend yourself and your family with deadly force, then so be it and criminals beware.
elena , wrote
fantastio ahero
OVER-SUPPLY!!!!!!@Alan, wrote
Your comment is the most ignorant thing I have ever read, who gives a damn about these thieves, if they had the opportunity believe you me, they would of killed Mr & Mrs van Tonder, it took guts for this man to shoot these thugs, he should of KILLED THEM END OF STORY!!!!! When you are a husband or father, you will do anything to save your family. Imagine if we read differently today.
Anonymous, wrote
I live in brooklyn. Thanx Mr. Van tonder! Our neighbourhood is now i bit safer.Well done!!!!
Rose, wrote
Alan, you're a tonsil! you're giving creedance to thuggary and entitlement. by mere virtue of your comment you have given criminals permission to hold up innocent people and demand their hard earned possessions. and i'm so tired of this 'previously disadvangtaged' hogwash. a thug is a thug! i don't care what their justification is for behaving the way they do. but it's no one's fault but their own! if only they walked around with tattoos on their faces - we could get rid of them all. along with the mentality that 'they were doing it to survive'. you live by the sword you die by the sword, and unfortunately there are too few examples like Jaap that succeed in actually escaping violent crime! you need a reality check, dude! seriously!!
Anon E Mouse, wrote
In our area an elderly man and his wife were hijacked. They did not resist. The lady was pistol whipped and the man purposefully run over with the car. It does not help to give criminals what they want, give them what their intended victim did.
Tia, wrote
@ anonymous 12h33: How many crimes have been committed with firearms stolen from civilians which have also never been recovered and were stored negligently? In addition, between 1102010 and 1842011, 39,851 firearm licences were rejected for various reasons, many being the holder is unfit to carry a firearm due to a criminal record or psychological reasons; have these firearms that relate to renewals been handed in or are they too in circulation? It is too easy to blame the state, we as civilians need to assume some responsibility for our contribution to crime, from turning a blind eye, to not reporting crime and I can even go as far as not contributing to community policing.And please don't say 'your taxes pay for police so why community police...police pay tax too!!!
Ivanovich, wrote
Hey, lily-livered Alan go and hide in your Crib and leave heroism to real men, not sissies like you!
Anonymous, wrote
At Alan, I am so disturbed with your comments, it makes wonder what kind of a person you are.
payattention, wrote
@the people getting pissed off at alan : I think you missed the point. The man was being sarcastic. That is precisely the kind of crap that bleeding heart liberals and the SABC will espouse.
Theressa, wrote
@Alan - do you have rocks in your head??? @ Biza - you have hit the nail on the head, well done. Society screams 'police brutality' when they do respond, but when they don't, they are ineffective! This generalisation of the SAPS is enough to make me sick to my stomach. I wouldn't dream of driving though the dark and dangerous streets at night on the lookout for perpetrators at the risk of taking a bullet at any stage, nor would I stand in front of a crowd of angry protestors and the SAPS have my utmost respect for what they do. Those who complain dont have the balls to do it either! The few corrupt cops who are tainting the image of the SAPS will get their day! Bheki and Jaap - I commend you! Criminals - white or black - your days are numbered!
SRK, wrote
Alan are u stupid or plain dumb - u feeling sorry for the would be killers - what about the van Tonders' and their family if they were shot & killed. Your comment is quite shocking - were they perhaps stealing this money for u????
9mmP, wrote
To all you aspiring Dirty Harry's out there:-), best know the law before you "Pull a Jaap"... You will need to prove that your or someone else's life is in real and imminent danger to shoot the attacker. Jaap was completely within his rights to plant the guy pointing the twa at his wife (should have double-tapped him so he couldnt make it back to the car, imho:-) but shooting after a fleeing vehicle (albeit that they originally returned fire) might be a little tricky to explain as in "My life was in danger when they were speeding away from me at a range of 40 metres so I riddled their car until my gun went click because I'd "had enough"" doesn't go down well with the judges. Shooting to kill is serious sh*t, make sure you know the law when you protect yourself and your loved ones. PS: Big Up Jaap:-)
Tshepo, wrote
Sometimes good guys like you Mr. Van Tonder have to win. I am glad that you shot the bloody thug whom i assumed is dead. You must be thankful to yourself because you had a firearm on this dreadful day.
Anonymous, wrote
How many of these 'crimes' are commited with government issue weapons(armypolice etc)....is this information available?......Who were prosecuted and what sentence was given to those 'supplying' the violent crime industry? - Last figure I remember was 15 000 automated weapons from state 'lost' The state is feeding the crime industry!
Anonymous, wrote
Well done Jaap van Tonder. It is time that ordinary law abiding citizens start standing up for their right to safe living conditions. Pity he could not damage those robbers more.
Anonymous, wrote
Queen, get a life and leave zimbabweans alone.There are so many foreigners in this country without documentation of with fake docs.Somalis, zimbos, mozambicans, chechs, serbians ,chinese, indians etc. Crime is crime, whether by ZIMBOS or South Africans.What we should be doing as South Africans is to look at our roles in all this. Your so called Zimbo criminals can not come here and do crime without our assistance.One way or the other we have a hand. So lets stop being childish and play our part like VAN TONDER the man.
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