Cape Town - An elderly couple, their daughter and grandchild say they are lucky to be alive after being held up by armed robbers for the
time at their home.
In the past week, there have been two other attacks on people living on farms in Schaapkraal, Philippi.
Gerda, 71, and her husband, Harry Brandt, 69, have been farming in Weltevreden Road since 2009, and the family have survived five attacks in which they were tied up, gagged and gunpointed.
The couple now trade in cement blocks, as they are forced to stop growing vegetables due to the drought.
On Friday, a robber broke the window of their daughter’s living quarters and threatened her with a gun while her 14-year-old daughter lay asleep.
Gerda says her daughter’s frantic screams woke them up, but the mom and teen managed to escape.
“The man told my daughter to shut up or he is going to shoot her,” she says.
“But as they made it to our side of the house, we blocked it off with a kitchen table and chairs, praying the robbers don’t come this side.
“They ransacked the place, taking all her electrical equipment.”
Picture: Jack Lestrade/ANA
Pointing to a new wall where the window used to be, Gerda says the robbers fled when police arrived.
“They must have been two. When the police came they made a run for it with everything.”
However, the family says despite this latest robbery, they won’t be “victimised” into leaving the farm.
“We are renting here and we will not leave the land, we work hard for everything we have,” Harry says.
They say the robbers returned on Saturday and Sunday.
The couple have nine dogs and believe something was used to knock the dogs out.
“At 12am on Saturday, we heard someone at the garage but they couldn’t get inside and we saw the same takkie prints as before. The Sunday morning the same story,” adds Harry.
Police spokesperson Sinathi Joni says a case of house robbery has been opened for investigation and no arrests have been made.
Last week, an 80-year-old woman survived a robbery at her home at Boshoff Nursery in Kraal Road. The robbers fled with a safe.