Pretoria - The sister of the 73-year-old Pretoria east doctor who was brutally murdered during a house robbery last week said Tshwane was robbed of a passionate healthcare worker.
Dr Erna Britz van Zyl died after being bound and suffocated along with her 75-year-old husband at their Erasmuskloof home, east of the city.
The couple was discovered by their son, who realised there was trouble when he could not get a hold of either of his parents. He eventually went to their home to check on them, only to make the gruesome discovery.
Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said the couple's Toyota Corolla, cellphones, licensed firearm and television sets, were missing from the house. A case of murder and house robbery had been opened for investigation.
The sister of the deceased doctor, Marie Coetzee, said her sibling was forever helping people. She would give people prescriptions for free at times.
“She was very involved in helping elderly people who were fragile, that was one of her big interests. She had a special course for fifth-year students dubbed Adopt-a-Granny, which would enhance early detection of some diseases in elderly people.
“She was also involved at the Steve Biko hospital staff clinic, and even found herself contracting Covid-19 some time last year, as she did not want to stand by while her services were needed. She was never off sick, always at work and wanting to assist those who needed medical attention.”
The doctor also served as a deacon in the Dutch Reformed Church, and was involved in the church council right up until her death.
She was an active and passionate person in the community. She had clinics set up in various townships, such as Atteridgeville and Saulsville as part of the municipal clinic system some years back.
“A lot of people have been robbed of experiencing her kind heart. Her work ethic was above and beyond, she would work through the day in a bid to help as many people.
“She was 14 months older than me; it’s a big part of me that is gone forever. We spoke every second day and to think they just stole an old car, a 15-year-old toyota Corolla, and that it made them a target.”
Coetzee said this underscored the crime problem in the country and the high murder rate.
“I wonder why they did not just take what they wanted, but they suffocated her, at the age of 73; what power would she have to defend herself to be tied up like that?
“I don’t know how I am going to survive without my friend; we have been together our whole lives. We were born in Beaufort West, but ultimately we both ended up here in Pretoria as we pursued our studies. She lived just up the road from me.
“My whole life has been changed completely, forever. The fact that they suffocated her; she was always advocating for a healthy life, conscious of her diet, exercised and she was snuffed out by criminals just like that.”
She said her brother-in-law, who has been hospitalised following the incident, was also very devastated and traumatised with the whole matter.
Pretoria News