Johannesburg – The man who shot and killed two robbers in a Centurion church last year won’t be prosecuted after he was cleared of wrongdoing.
Pieter van der Westhuizen, who is the brother of the late Springbok rugby player Joost van der Westhuizen, was acquitted by an inquest which found that he didn’t act negligently when he killed the robbers.
After hearing the news, the church posted on its Facebook page: “We can only thank the Lord!!!!! He is good through everything He has kept us!!!!”
“Let’s praise the Lord, as the Lord preserved us on July 26, 2020, so He also preserved Pieter van der Westhuizen, as we asked … His case was finished with no repercussions ….”
In July last year, Van der Westhuizen was at Querencia Ministries church in Wierda Park when robbers stormed in and robbed worshippers at gunpoint.
Pastor Kobus Erasmus and other worshippers were allegedly pushed around and pistol-whipped by the men.
The robbers allegedly held a pistol to Erasmus’s head and a 15-year-old boy was reportedly grazed by a bullet.
However, Van der Westhuizen, a former police officer, sprung into action and shot dead two robbers.
The third robber was also shot, but fled.
IOL