Durban - A braai with friends turned into a nightmare for a Bluff family when robbers invaded their home, threatening to shoot their 11-month-old baby unless they stopped her crying.
While no one was injured in Tuesday night’s incident, the robbers made off with more than R120 000 worth of electronic goods and valuables, also taking homeowner Louis van Rooyen’s various qualification certificates.
Van Rooyen, an electrical manager with Gud Filters, his wife, Zelda, and daughter, Theresa, had been relaxing at their Sormany Road home. They had a couple over and were having a braai at about 7pm when three robbers struck.
“This guy just appeared at the patio door and cocked his gun,” said Van Rooyen, explaining he had had his daughter on his lap.
“I just grabbed the baby to ensure she wouldn’t be harmed.”
Van Rooyen told the Daily News on Wednesday of how he had pleaded with the robbers to spare his family and friends and take what they wanted.
He said they were held at gunpoint while the robbers went on a looting spree. One of the robbers threatened to shoot the child if she did not stop crying, he said.
“He kept screaming, ‘make her shut up before I shoot her’. I kept Theresa firmly under my wife and I.”
Van Rooyen said the robbers stole jewellery, laptops, cameras, cellphones, cash, as well as keys to the vehicles and house, among other things.
“They then made their way into my workshop. They helped themselves to electrical equipment like drills, saws and testers, worth in excess of R10 000. They took everything and put it into the back of my bakkie and drove off.”
The bakkie was found abandoned in uMlazi, with no trace of the stolen goods.
Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, said a case of house robbery was being investigated by Brighton Beach detectives.
Daily News