Johannesburg - Michelle Smith* and her family were unwinding at their home near Fourways after a busy day on February 20.
Their children were tucked into bed and she and her husband were about to go to sleep when they heard the family dog barking.
Her husband went to the window to investigate and he was struck by a bullet.
Before he could realise what was happening, he was hit by two more shots to his upper body.
By the time the second gunshot was fired, the glass from the window shattered, allowing armed men to enter the property.
One of them pointed a firearm at Smith and demanded to know where the family kept their money.
She reacted with screams which unsettled the robbers, who managed to escape with only cellphones, TVs and a musical keyboard.
These items almost cost her husband his life.
“One of the bullets hit him near his lung and the doctors said it was a miracle he was not dead or paralysed,” she said this week.
Her husband has made a full recovery and the family are determined to “stay in the country and make a difference” following their ordeal.
The attack is just one of a string of affluent households allegedly being terrorised by an armed gang in Fourways and Bryanston.
Some of the members are believed to be as young as 17 and no older than 25.
Despite their youth, the dangerous robbers are apparently well organised and allegedly plan their robberies months in advance.
It is unclear if any of the gang have been arrested.
eBlockwatch founder Andre Snyman said the gang was believed to have fired 38 rounds of ammunition at a single property in Bryanston in December.
“We believe that this gang is organised, vicious and deadly.”
He said they planned their crimes months in advance with much attention focused on the targeted property’s security system.
“They make sure they are fully aware of the security system and where the alarms are.
“They find out where the beams are placed. It’s very well planned out,” he said.
The gang also allegedly make use of a nearby house which is less secure than the house they are targeting.
“They find the weak link in the neighbour’s security system and then use that house to get into the house they plan on robbing,” said Snyman.
Once they get into a house and rob the property, the group, believed to consist of five men at a time, have a well-defined escape route.
“When a panic button is pressed the security company comes to the front of the property so this group escape through the back of the house and run into the streets, where they then disappear.”
Snyman said it was easy for the group to get into these areas to observe houses because of the high rate of construction in the area and the number of casual labourers who flock to the suburb seeking work.
The gang pose as workers and can observe houses without suspicion.
He said they also used construction equipment such as ladders and scaffolding to get over walls during their robberies.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the police were not aware of a gang of young men who were committing house robberies in the area.
“House robberies are normally committed by more than two suspects armed with a firearm or firearms or other dangerous weapons,” said Dlamini.
“Once the suspects are arrested they will be profiled to establish if they have been involved in any other crimes.”
Dlamini referred the Saturday Star to the most recent crime statistics for the number of house robberies in Sandton in the past year.
“This office may not release any information as it will form part of the crime statistics, which is the responsibility of the ministry to release,” he said.
The 2017/2018 crime statistics revealed that Sandton made it onto the top 30 national list of areas where people were not safe in their homes.
Sandton also made it to the top of the list in other crimes, including robbery with aggravating circumstances, which is up by 1.7% from 812 to 826.
Murder also increased by six cases to 15 reported from the previous year.
*Not her real name.