House robbery leaves family terrified

Atlegang Makgoba

The family of a man who was attacked during a house robbery in Bredell, Kempton Park, calls on the community for support.
Eric Rowan was brutally attacked by four armed robbers in his home on March 25.
His family has since then requested the community's support through a BackaBuddy account to assist with his medical expenses.
The couple's daughter Leanne said her brother Ross was in a backroom, playing video games, when his dog alerted him of intruders in the yard.
“When he took his headphones off to check outside, he saw the men breaking into the house. The men chased after him, but he managed to lock himself in his room,” said Leanne.
The intruders managed to find their way into the main house where they had an altercation with Eric.
Sanet was witness to the attack on her husband.
“I helplessly watched as the three to four men started hitting my husband with a pair of bolt cutters, while my son was secured in our laundry room. Eric was stabbed in his arms, chest, neck and head,” said Sanet.
“One of the assailants then turned his attention to me. In the commotion, Ross managed to escape with his dog to neighbours to request help and alert the police,” said Sanet.
The family was rushed to the nearest hospital where Eric spent the next several days in ICU with seven stab wounds, a cracked skull, a punctured lung, bleeding on the brain, broken facial bones and a dislocated shoulder.
According to Sanet, only a laptop and cellphone were taken on the night of the robbery. However several days later, on April 7, the family was alerted that their house had been ransacked.
Kempton Park SAPS spokesperson Captain Jethro Mtshali confirmed two cases were opened – a case for house robbery and another for residential burglary.
“Both cases are currently under investigation. Anyone with information can phone 08600 10111 or Mysaps,” said Mtshali.