Tavern owner describes ordeal

Three suspects were arrested in Katlehong in the early hours of Thursday morning, January 19.

The communications official at Ekurhuleni SAPS West Cluster, Capt Mega Ndobe, confirmed the news.

“It is true that the police officers arrested three male suspects aged between 24 and 25 for business robbery.

“It is alleged that on Monday, December 26, at about 10.45am, three armed suspects entered the tavern in Katlehong South. The suspects held a 46-year-old woman at gunpoint and forced her to open the safe. The suspects took cash from the safe and ran away on foot. The matter was then reported at Katlehong Police Station. Police started with the investigation and collecting of information from the community members.

“In the early hours on Thursday, January 19, a police detective arrested all three suspects following information he had gathered from the community members. The investigation is continuing, since the firearms used during the robbery have not yet been found,” said Ndobe.

Buyezwa Baleka, the alleged victim, said the robbery was a traumatic experience.

She shared with Kathorus MAIL how it happened.

“After a cleaner finished cleaning, I realised that she had left the dustbin in the yard. I had to push the dustbin outside first before opening the tavern. These three suspects were already in the yard when I was on the way back to open the tavern. I went inside with them. We were talking, as nothing seemed suspicious.

“One of them followed me to the other side of the counter. As soon as I realised there was a person in the place where customers are not allowed to be, he pointed a gun at me and demanded the safe keys. I told him there was no money in the safe. He then beat me in the head with his gun and tied me up with an electrical cable. They told me that they wanted all the money that I had made over the weekend.

“During the argument my kids heard that something was happening in the tavern and they came out of their rooms. One of the suspects saw the kids outside. He went straight for them. He brought them to where I was. I had to show him the key to the safe as I feared for my children’s lives. They tied us together while the other one was busy taking the money from the safe,” said Baleka.

Baleka said the suspects also demanded car keys, but she refused.

“After refusing to give them the car keys, I was beaten up with the gun and kicked very harshly. They told me that I was very stubborn. Unfortunately for them, they did not get the car no matter how hard they were torturing me, because I had already given up on life. I told them that they must kill me if they want to but my car is not going anywhere,” said Baleka.

The alleged robbers left.

Baleka said she was told by one of the customers who was coming into the tavern at that time that the suspects drove away in a blue Toyota Avanza.

“They took a sum of about R250 000, cigarettes and some cases of beer and spirits,” said Baleka.

Ndobe thanked the police for working hard in finding the suspects. He also thanked the community for working with the police in giving them information that led to the arrests.

He said this was not the only successful arrest the police had made.

“On Wednesday, January 18, Katlehong South police arrested six suspects for various offences.

“More suspects were arrested during a routine stop-and-search operation conducted by the Katlehong Crime Prevention Unit. The detectives had their own operation, tracing wanted suspects according to the dockets they had in their hands. As a result, a total of nine suspects were arrested in a period of two days. There is a good working partnership between the Crime Prevention Unit and the police to ensure the safety of the community,” Ndobe said.

Ndobe concluded by saying all suspects who were arrested appeared in the Palm Ridge Court on Thursday, January 19, on a variety of charges.