Pretoria - A Pretoria academic and his wife who were shot after a botched house robbery said they were at peace with what happened, despite no arrests and minimal progress being made by police since the robbery.
Professor Max Braun, deputy dean at the University of Pretoria: education campus, and his wife, Clare, a Pretoria News employee, were shot by at least two gun-wielding assailants in their Elardus Park home in November 2012.
Max was left fighting for his life after being shot in the abdomen, with the bullet crushing his hip bone and resulting in massive blood loss.
“I have a new appreciation for the nature of miraculous events. The bullet went through my abdomen, missing some vital organs, and exited through my hip, which has been replaced,” Max said.
He highlighted how fortunate they were after Clare was shot through her upper left shoulder, missing her lung in the process.
“In retrospect, we shouldn’t have survived. So many things could have gone wrong during the shooting which could have led to one of us being killed,” he said.
The couple, and their daughter, were awakened by a loud noise in their house. When they went to investigate they found two intruders in their home.
According to a friend of the couple, the suspects came over the back fence and broke a window.
Asked about the progress of the investigation and if they were aware of any arrests, Max laughed saying: “What arrests? We were interviewed six weeks after the shooting. On the seventh week police came and completed the identity kit, saying the sketches of the suspects would be put up at every police station by the New Year (2013), but we have not heard of any progress since then.”
The couple said they had since reinforced their security to prevent further invasions.
“We’ve also changed our habits towards security, locking doors religiously, being aware of strange noises in the house and we have gone for therapy to help us get over the ordeal,” Clare said.
Max said the shooting changed his perspective on life dramatically, saying he was also grateful for the immeasurable support he received from friends, colleagues and some of his students.
“The one thing that I have carried over from that experience is the love and support that we received during that period. It was phenomenal.”
He said they did not harbour any hatred for the perpetrators, nor were they angry at the police.
“Am I angry at the guys who broke into and violated my home? No! The universe will take care of them. Am I angry at the police? No. I am just saddened by the whole thing.”
Pretoria News