Robbers shoot Brackenfell man seven times

Bullet casings File picture: Tung256/Pixabay

Bullet casings File picture: Tung256/Pixabay

Published Apr 10, 2021

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Cape Town - The increasing number of home invasions in the northern suburbs became a terrifying reality for a Brackenfell couple when five men broke into their home last month and shot a 41-year-old male in his garage.

Police spokesperson captain FC van Wyk said they are investigating a case of attempted murder.

The victim’s partner, who asked not to be named, said he was working in the garage when the five men broke in and shot him seven times.

“He put up a big fight with the one men who was in possession of the gun.

“When he tried to hold the gun away from his upper body the perpetrator then pulled the trigger and all the bullets went into his left leg.

“I pressed the panic button and that is when the five men fled the scene.

“Thankfully my neighbour came to help, by covering the wound that was what helped my partner get through the ordeal, ” said the victim's partner.

Due to his heart rate being very low, doctor’s thought he would not make it.

“He underwent a 10-hour operation with three blood transfusions.

“He was put on a ventilator for two days but miraculously, he got out and was moved to the trauma unit.

“The bullet hit his main artery and the only way to save his life was to amputate his left leg, a hand above the knee,” said the victim's partner.

“The many armed robberies in the area makes me feel safe in my own house because now my partner’s life is going to change completely.

“He has to get a prosthetic leg, but he has to wait eight months until the wound heals so in the meanwhile he will be wheelchair-bound.

“It is difficult now because we have to make some adjustments in the house.”

“Financially, everyone in South Africa is struggling, but now to not have a source of income, it will be quite a burden and on us.

“We will get some fund-raisers up and running to cover all the medical bills.

“We are going to start with a Back-a-Buddy fund-raisers for now and we have to get someone to come in and clean the wound every day, that too will be another financial burden because he won't be able to work now.

“For now we just have to take it one step at a time and I’m just glad he managed to pull through.”

“We're not sure whether it's a white Polo or a white BMW. ”We could not pick up anything on the CCTV cameras but we've asked the police and we've got a private investigator,’’ she said.

“Brackenfell, is a quiet town and incidents like this are not the norm.

“We see this in a very serious light and work closely with police, neighbourhood watches and private security companies in order to prevent this from happening again.

“Unfortunately, crime is a reality in South Africa and Brackenfell is neighbouring Kraaifontein, with one of the highest crime rates in the Western Cape,” said Brackenfell Community Police Forum chairperson, Werner Victor.

Bottery Rural Farm Watch spokesperson, Linda van Rooyen, said the action plan at the moment is to have more visible operations in and out of Brackenfell.

“That entails having more policing, more patrols and having more visible neighbourhood watch members

The couple is appealing to anyone in Brackenfell to check their CCTV footage for any description.

“All information regarding the incident should go through to Lt-Col Smith at 021 983 1940/021 980 5700 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

Weekend Argus

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