Mum’s living nightmare

A MAYVILLE mother found herself in a living nightmare last week when she received a call from her domestic worker telling her three men, armed with pangas had broken into her block of flats and her two children at home with the domestic worker, were in possible danger.

Joanne Viljoen said her domestic worker, Thabisile, was home with her six-month-old daughter Leah, when she heard someone screaming 'hello' outside her flat.

“Thabisile saw the man standing outside, who had obviously climbed over the fence, but she didn't answer him. When she looked again, he was standing right outside the sliding door with a bush knife in his hand. She hid on the floor with Leah so he didn't see her. I don't know why, but I had picked up the phone to call her, but then put it down again. Leah was also very quiet, which was a relief,” she said.

She said the man had tried to pull the gate open, when Thabisile heard glass smash next door.

“She ran and pushed the panic button downstairs, but it was on silent. She then ran upstairs with Leah and pushed the panic button, but the men didn't care,” she said.

Oblivious to the drama going on inside the block of flats, Joanne's mother arrived at the flat to drop off her six-year-old son, Troy. One of the men stationed at the gate let her drive in and out.

“Thabisile has a hip problem, so she couldn't run fast enough to tell my mom what was going on before she left. She ran out and grabbed Troy and ran inside again. I think that's when they realised someone was at home and took off.”

“I felt so helpless. All the while I was at work and couldn't get there to help my children. Thabisile's sister works with me and had to sit me down to tell me the men had knives. I just sat there screaming!” she said.

Since the incident, Troy and Joanne are receiving counselling at his school and Joanne said she has to lie with him at night before he goes to sleep.

“That night I didn't sleep at all, and Troy won't even go upstairs alone anymore. We only moved in in March, and this is the third incident since we moved in. We had our washing stolen in March and our garden furniture taken three weeks ago!” she said.

According to Save Our Berea's Cheryl Johnson, the men broke into the empty flat next door to Joanne through the Trellidor, smashing through louvre windows to get inside.

“Finding nothing to steal, they then went up into the roof through the ceiling trapdoor. As the trapdoor to the next door apartment was locked, they smashed through the ceiling to gain access to my late father's home. He only died in April, so we were still in the process of packing up the flat and had most of it ready to move in sealed cardboard boxes. They took the place apart looking for valuables,” she said.

She said the flat was well-secured, with internal locking doors, burglar bars on all windows, a veranda enclosed with bars, security gate to bedrooms and so on.

“When they could not get into the main bedroom, they went back outside and smashed a large plate glass window facing the street that had no burglar guard because of its size. They stole whatever took their fancy and made off with it in broad daylight, most probably back to Cato Crest.”

“While everyone on the Berea is facing break-ins, particularly into garages, this invasion is noteworthy and in my view very troubling. Robbers are upping the ante – broad daylight, armed with pangas and worst of all, showed no compassion or regard for two tiny children and their nanny,” she said.