KwaZulu-Natal - An Isipingo Hills couple have fled their home after robbers held them at gunpoint and threatened to shoot their hysterical two-year-old son, if his mother did not silence him.
The robbers used dish cloths to try to disguise their identities.
Four of them entered the property, while a fifth apparently waited in the getaway vehicle – a blue Audi A3 – outside the front gate.
They were extremely aggressive and demanded gold and cash, the couple said.
The family are now living in a flat in La Lucia and have vowed never to return to their newly built home.
The father, a businessman, who did not want to be named because he feared for his family’s safety, said he, his pregnant wife and son were traumatised by the 20-minute ordeal.
He said his son was watching watching television with him in the bedroom.
His wife had gone downstairs to the kitchen to fetch some watermelon when the four men stormed their house.
“As my wife entered the bedroom, she began screaming. Seconds later, a man was in the bedroom pointing a gun at us.
“He was very aggressive and demanded to know where the safe was. He only asked for gold and cash. Downstairs, another robber was ransacking the lounge and kitchen.”
He said the robber warned them not to look at his face.
“He pushed us into a space between the bed and a cupboard. By this time, my son was hysterical and screaming. They pointed the gun at him and told my wife to shut him up.
“They kept telling him to shut his mouth. My wife placed her hand over the child’s mouth but that aggravated him even more. He was battling to breathe. The robber then became distracted when he saw my watch and gold chain. He ripped it off me.”
The businessman, who lives on a communal property with his parents, said his brother then walked into the house.
“He had come to take my son next door. The robbers pointed a gun at him and took his car keys. They loaded our clothes, computer, laptop, iPad and other valuables into the car and sped off.”
He said the gang also made off with a substantial amount of cash and jewellery.
He said his parents heard the commotion and had ran outside.
“The robbers had grabbed the dish cloths from the line and covered their faces. They pointed guns at my parents before driving off,” he man said.
“We had just moved into the house. We are preparing for the arrival of our second child. I built on the same property as my parents, as protection for my family. But, it has been in vain. We will never go back. All of us are having sleepless nights.”
* A senior Durban policeman’s wife was held at gunpoint and robbed of her VW Polo, inside the garage of their Lotus Park, Isipingo, home.
The policeman, who also did not want to be named, said his wife had returned home at about 7.40am on Sunday, after working night shift.
She is a nurse at a South Coast hospital.
“Both the front gate and garage are automated. As she entered the garage, two suspects ran into the yard and pointed a gun at her. They demanded the car keys and her handbag,” he said.
The policeman, who saw the robbers, said he ran for his gun.
“As they reversed out of the garage, I shot at the car. But, this did not deter them. They still drove off. I ran after the car and fired a few more shots. They eventually abandoned the car and ran off into the bushes.”
“My wife is very shaken and terrified of going out alone. But, I am grateful she was not harmed,” the policeman said.
An Isipingo police source confirmed both incidents.
Daily News