Pretoria - A Faerie Glen man is recovering in hospital after he was shot in the shoulder by robbers while he and his girlfriend were having a braai on Friday evening.
Neighbours in Limberg Road posted on social media that they heard a series of gunshots at about 6.30pm. It appeared that the robbers jumped over the wall of the man’s house.
The 28-year-old man had a weapon with him and fatally wounded one of the robbers, while the other one got away in a white Hyundai vehicle.
Police spokesperson Captain Colette Weibach confirmed the incident and said two armed robbers had entered the house and threatened the couple.
“One of the suspects shot the man in his left shoulder. He retaliated by shooting back.
“One suspect died on the scene and the other fled.”
The robbers did not manage to steal anything and an unlicensed firearm that was used by the dead suspect was found on the scene. The police are investigating.
In another incident Sunday morning, three armed men robbed the MTN store in Centurion Mall.
Weibach said the robbers entered the store at around 9.45am.
The thugs ordered the employees and the customers to go into the
storeroom at the back of the shop.
One of the male customers tried to fight the robbers off and he was hit over the head with a firearm.
The suspects demanded the safe keys and took cellphones and an undisclosed amount of money.
The fled the scene in a white BMW 5 series. They are are still at large.
Weibach said the Lyttelton SAPS are investigating the robbery.
Meanwhile, the police in the Tshwane Centre cluster arrested 78 suspects over the weekend during crime prevention operations in Brooklyn, Garsfontein, Lyttelton, Sunnyside, Silverton, the Moot and Villieria.
They focused on contact, drug and property-related crime, Weibach said.
Seven arrests were made for possession of suspected stolen property, nine for theft, two for possession of car break-in equipment, six for fraud and two for housebreaking and theft.
“The cluster has a zero tolerance towards drugs and 19 arrests were made for drug-related offences. Three people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol,” Weibach said. The suspects will all appear in court today.
Weibach said vehicle-related crimes
are still high and most can be prevented through basic precautionary measures. Any visible loose items left in a vehicle create an opportunity for criminals. Motorists should remove all these items.
Female drivers, especially, should be vigilant and not leave their handbags anywhere in the car, but lock them in the boot when driving.