Gathering turns bloody with Krugersdorp West man left to die in own home

A young man from Krugersdorp West is lucky to be alive after he was attacked and robbed by people he had spent the night getting to know.

The violent incident occurred in his home which he inherited from his grandmother.

In an exclusive interview with Krugersdorp News journalist Natasha Pretorius, the 30-year-old victim, Damen Lee, said he was attacked and stabbed in his arm and head at 03:00 on August 4. After waking up in a pool of his own blood, he then managed to drag himself into the house to try and contact someone for help.

Lee explained that it all started three months before when a woman that he was acquainted with was looking for a place to stay. At that time the people who rented the flat in the back of his yard were planning to move out and he explained that he told her he wanted to do renovations. He said to her that she could move in after the renovations were done.

The night before the incident the woman and one of her friends visited him and the three went to do some shopping. He told them he wanted to go to a restaurant but they said they did not want to go with him. Lee then went to the restaurant on his own and met up with friends there. When he returned home he found the woman and a group of her friends at his gate.

“They told me they wanted to see where she was going to live and asked me if I could unlock the flat for them,” he explained.

Throughout the night she and her friends stayed in the flat and moved between the flat and the main house where Lee lived, he was in and out of both buildings during the early morning hours. At one point he went into the flat and felt someone hitting him over the head.

It is then that several men started hitting and kicking him, he believes they cracked a rib, but during the attack, they stabbed him in the arm and the head. He lost consciousness and the group left him there to die.

When he regained consciousness, he stood up and as he walked outside he saw his car pulling out of the driveway. The group took his cellphone and other belongings, but Lee needed help. He went to the computer that was left by the group and started messaging his friends and family on Facebook and via email. He then felt drowsy and went to lie down on his couch where he once again lost consciousness.

When he woke up at about 09:30 the following day, the woman returned and gave him a beer to calm his nerves before leaving.

“I did not even take one sip of the beer and I think she came back to see if I was dead.”

Eventually, a friend of his came by after receiving one of his messages and that is when the police were phoned. He was eventually taken to hospital.

The group made off with his TV, keys, ID and passport, three laptops, a Bluetooth speaker, his car and cellphone. When he tried to clean up on August 29 he found what he believes was the knife they stabbed him with.

The investigation has progressed but Lee said he now lives in fear that they will return to take the rest of his things or even worse, kill him.

The News has requested feedback from the police on the matter. Once feedback has been received, a follow-up will be published.