Elderly, women at risk as house robberies surge

Published Feb 20, 2020

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Durban - THE number of house robberies or home

invasions in South Africa has increased

by a third over the past seven years,

with the elderly and women being the

most vulnerable groups targeted for such

crimes. 

The Institute for Security Studies said its latest research showed that 16 766 house robberies were reported in 2011/12, increasing to 22 431 reported incidents in 2018/19.

And according to the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) released by Stats SA, there were about 1.3 million incidents of housebreaking affecting 5.8% of households in South Africa in 2018/19.

The most likely victims of housebreaking were male-headed households, households in metros, Indian/Asian households followed by white households, very low- and very high-income households and households in the Northern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

However, less than 50% of affected households reported the incidents to the police.

ISS senior researcher Johan Burger said the robbers came well prepared and knew what they were after.

“They know what they have come for as soon as they enter because of all the information they collect ahead of the house robbery. Appearances

also make people targets: how your house looks, what cars are parked

there and what valuables are in the house, including firearms,” he said.

Burger said the modus operandi for home invaders had not changed over the years - they gathered information from unsuspecting employees, sometimes during random chats.

Burger was speaking after two separate home invasions in Durban this week, including one where a 73-year-old woman was strangled yesterday in Kharwastan, Chatsworth. In the second incident, a 60-year-old man was shot in the leg in Umbilo on Monday.

And earlier this month a Westville resident experienced two attempted home invasions in eight days.

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said yesterday four men entered the home of Jinsee Ram in Kharwastan and strangled her. They fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Gwala said Ram’s 40-year-old daughter was in the house at the time of the invasion and was assaulted.

Residents who gathered at Ram’s house later described her as a Krishna devotee who was friendly.

Kharwastan Community Policing Forum spokesperson Sam Pillay said the CPF was devastated by the incident, especially because of the attempts made to keep the community safe.

“These include patrols and getting people to take care of themselves by locking doors and windows, and getting an alarm system. And despite all that, this still happened. We are truly devastated,” he said.

Pillay said home invasions had always been a concern in the area, but these had decreased when the CPF became more organised.

“This particular road is a weak point. As much as we try to maintain safety and security in the area, this street has incidents continuously,” he said.

Gwala said police were investigating an attempted murder charge in relation to the Umbilo incident. She said the victim was watching TV at his home in Baines Road when a man entered his home and shot at him. He sustained a bullet wound to the leg and was taken to hospital.

Burger said he found the home invasion in Kharwastan strange as it appeared the robbers carried no weapons.

“Criminals who carry out house robberies are usually armed, and their operation is well planned,” he said.

Daily News

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