Durban - A MEREBANK resident was struck by a stray bullet when robbers fired shots during a home invasion.
The bullet from an AK-47 penetrated both his thighs while he was walking home on Kashmir Road, in Durban, on Friday.
The man, who did not want to be named, was recovering in hospital yesterday, said Merebank community activist Yusuf Vawda.
Vawda, who spoke on-behalf of the robbery victims, said six men arrived in a Renault Sandero.
Four men, wearing balaclavas, hats and surgical masks, got out of the car and derailed the driveway gate.The driver stayed in the car. A sixth man carrying an AK-47 rifle kept watch over the road from behind the wall.
The 64-year-old homeowner, his wife, 61, his daughter, 21, and his two-year-old grandson were in the house. They were observing the Ramadaan fasting ritual midday prayer when the robbers struck.
“The wife was seated on the prayer mat. The husband was in the yard. Three men rushed into the house. They demanded access to the safe. They ransacked cupboards, including those in the bathroom. One of the robbers grabbed the husband and forced him to sit on the floor in the yard,” Vawda said.
He said the robber carrying the AK-47 saw two family members approach the house.
“He let off three rounds from his rifle. One of the bullets hit a bystander walking past nearly 150 metres away.”
The robbers were disturbed by the gunshots and fled.
PT Alarms spokesperson Devan Govindasamy said the Renault Sandero was found abandoned in the Lamontville area.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the family were robbed of jewellery and cellphones. A case of house robbery was opened at Wentworth police station.
In another robbery in Woodview, the homeowner opened his driveway gate for his friend to enter the premises. Three men pounced on his friend and forced her to the ground next to her BMW.
Police reports stated that two men rushed into the house and took a cellphone, TV and laptop. The men got into her BMW and fled.
Reaction Unit SA spokesperson Prem Balram said while the robbers were driving off, the homeowner fired several shots from his firearm. The men abandoned the vehicle and fled. The homeowner was treated for a wound to his head.
Meanwhile, a Drummond resident is recovering in hospital after being stabbed several times during a house robbery. Inchanga police found a blood-stained home when they responded to a house robbery on 1000 Hills Drive.
Police found the house was ransacked and the homeowner was taken to hospital.
A case of house robbery and attempted murder was opened at Inchanga police station.
Drummond crime watch WhatsApp groups reported that five men wearing medical masks entered the home. Some had firearms, while others had knives.
SA Community Crime Watch’s Steven King said the men tied up the homeowner, stabbed him and fled. King said they took his television, wallet containing bank cards and other household items. The homeowner was in a stable condition in hospital.