Durban - A domestic worker was beaten and robbed by men posing as municipal contractors at the Cowies Hill home of top businessman, Patrick Goss.
Five men claiming they were water meter repair contractors were let onto the property by the security guard.
Their car had a logo of the eThekwini Municipality.
The 50-year-old domestic worker told police that two of the men entered the house around midday and threatened her with a dagger.
The robbers took a television set, laptop and iPad and drove off in their getaway vehicle, said police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker.
Goss, 66, and his wife were not home at the time. A source said they were on a business trip and would be returning within the week.
The robbers kicked the domestic worker until she fell when she screamed for help.
They then hit her while she lay on the floor.
A worker on the premises who came into the house after he heard her screams was also hit.
The domestic worker was taken to hospital where she is being treated for shock and injuries.
eThekwini Municipality spokesman, Thabo Mofokeng, advised homeowners to be vigilant. He said residents must ask for identification cards from contractors. “We are aware that people are posing as municipal contractors.”
A municipal contractor who claims he is doing a repair cannot do so if the homeowner did not call in the fault. Mofokeng advised homeowners to ask the contractor “to match your complaint reference number given to you by the municipal call centre”.
A case of house robbery is being investigated by the Pinetown police station.
According to the website, whoswho.co.za, Goss holds several directorships, including at Rand Merchant Bank. He is also the chairman and director of Umngazi River Bungalows and Goss & Co.
The businesses he is involved in are varied, and include manufacturing, consumer goods, fashion and retail, travel, tourism and hospitality, banking, agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
He is also the director of Lewas Downs Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.
He is also a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Daily News