Durban - A BELLAIR resident fought off four robbers in his home with a broomstick and a bush knife.
The male nurse, who would not be named, is renovating his home. He said the robbers accosted two carpenters, who were kicked to the ground and robbed of a cellphone, before they got into the house.
The nurse was in his bedroom when a man walked in at midday on Monday. The man made hand gestures instructing the nurse to lie down and be quiet. Another stood in the passage with a bush knife, and two others carried a pickaxe, a sickle and a crowbar.
The nurse mustered up the courage to chase the men out of the house, and let out his Great Dane and two boerboel mastiffs. Running behind the fleeing robbers, he noticed one of them trying to open his car door.
“I couldn’t let them steal my car. I chased after him and whacked him several times with a broomstick.
“The dogs were rushing at the three others who were trying to save their accomplice. A bush knife and bricks were thrown at me, the dogs and the carpenters. The robber couldn’t get up, so they dragged him while trying to distract me. I swung at them until they retreated to their waiting car.”
The driver was seated in the champagne-coloured Etios sedan.
The nurse and carpenters threw bricks at the vehicle while the robbers were getting in.
A neighbour who heard the commotion and the alarm fired paintball pellets at the car. The boot and rear lights were damaged.
“I haven’t slept since the incident. I’m still in shock. The carpenters have body pains. I fear they might come back,” the nurse said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said a case of attempted robbery was opened for investigation.