Durban - A Verulam grandmother, 85, is recovering in hospital after an attack in which she was stabbed eight times in her home.
Kairoon Hoosen, known as Mainia Apa, and her daughter, Halima Hoosen, 65, who is blind, were asleep early on Wednesday when a robber broke into their Mount Vernon house.
The daughter was hurt on the head when she tried to go to the aid of her mother. Both are recovering in hospital.
Now a reward is being offered by a security company to help catch their attackers.
Munira Altaf, the daughter and granddaughter of the attacked women, was shocked to see her grandmother covered in blood.
Altaf believes the attacker may be known to them because he knew the layout of the house. She lives on the property in a separate building.
“The suspect lifted up the roof tiles and climbed into the lounge ceiling. He took a bunch of keys from the kitchen table and entered the room where they slept. He may have tried to open the door to the prayer room but I am not certain what happened. We found the door locked and the keys on the floor,” Altaf said.
The robber passed her mother, Halima’s, room and entered an adjourning room where he stabbed Kairoon, missing vital organs.
She had stab wounds on the ear, neck, nose, arm, chest and side and had lost a lot of blood.
“I cannot imagine what they went through. It must have felt like he was punching her because she screamed repeatedly to Halima, in Urdu, ‘Uloug mujhe marthe hain (they are hitting me)’,” Altaf said.
The blind Halima tried to go to her mother’s aid but tripped on a carpet and hit her head on a cupboard. The family is not sure if she was attacked too.
“Only God knows how Kairoon managed to walk from her bed to the bathroom window and muster up the strength to scream for help.
“We tried opening the door from the outside but the latch was secured from the inside. Kairoon walked from her room to unlock the door. Blood was dripping down her body. Her clothes were soaked in blood.”
Altaf believes the robber escaped with about R200.
She believes that while he was getting away through the ceiling, he fell on to the ceiling board, because a piece of the ceiling was found on the lounge carpet.
Altaf said she stood for a moment in shock at the door when she saw Kairoon’s bloody state.
She grabbed towels to try to stop the bleeding while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
Inside the room, the domestic worker and neighbours found Halima on the floor in pain.
Halima is in hospital where she is being treated for shock and a swollen forehead. Kairoon is in hospital in a stable condition.
“My grandmother is a strong woman to walk around after being stabbed. The room was splattered with blood. It is a sight we don’t want to remember or even think about.
“About three hours before it happened, both of them were seated at the side of the house with the tenants chatting and laughing. Both went to bed late because of the hot weather,” Altaf said.
Police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker, said
Verulam police were investigating a case of house robbery and attempted murder.
Private security company, Reaction Unit South Africa spokesman, Prem Balram, said they responded to the incident.
“It is suspected that the victim woke up while the suspects were in the residence and she was attacked in an attempt to silence her, however this cannot be confirmed.
“We are offering a reward of R10 000 for information leading to an arrest. This is a heinous crime against senior citizens. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”
Altaf said the family was grateful to Reaction Unit SA for its prompt reaction and for taking the women to hospital.
They were also taken aback by the reward offered by Balram, Altaf said.
Daily News