MARLOTH PARK – A woman sustained a broken back when she fell over her veranda balcony at her home in Pofaddder Street during a fight with an intruder on Friday night.
The woman is currently recuperating in a Gauteng hospital where she is expected to spend several more weeks in traction after having sustained fractures to her spine.
Her particulars are known to Lowvelder, but are being withheld due to her family’s request as she is “a very private person”.
According to Mr Gerhard Coetzer of Securion Lowveld, the incident occurred at approximately 21:30. “She was outside on her veranda when she was overpowered by one man with a weapon,” he said. “He tried to force her into the house, but she resisted and struggle followed,” Coetzer continued.
“She was pushed over the balcony,” he continued. According to a post by Securicon Lowveld on its Facebook page, she fell a distance of four metres. The woman had a panic button with her which she pressed and officials and paramedics of Securicon responded. “We found her seriously injured, having sustained injuries to her head and back,” Coetzer said.
She was taken to Mediclinic Nelspruit from which she was transferred to the hospital in Pretoria.
The security company’s Facebook post further read that Securicon Operations and the Vambo tracker team were activated and performed a follow-up operation.
“While the victim was aware of only one suspect, investigations confirmed that there had been two suspects involved. They were followed to a western farm fence. Both left Marloth Park on foot here.
“Further investigations confirmed that the suspects entered Marloth Park from the same direction. Suspect activity was reported by other Marloth Park residents (non-Securicon clients) in Olifant and Patrys streets earlier that night. It is believed that it may have been the same suspects.
“All Securicon Marloth Park clients must ensure that all house doors and windows are properly locked and that a hand-held panic remote is nearby all the time. They can make use of the free service to call the control room and request patrol-vehicle escort to the house when you arrive late at home. Report any suspect activity to Securicon control immediately,” the post further read.
Coetzer added that the suspect had gained entry to the woman’s home through a back door. A cellphone and laptop were taken.
He said all three entries to Marloth Park are being guarded by officials from a security company appointed by Nkomazi Local Municipality (NLM). However, a lot of the owners feel that the security here is inadequate.
The Marloth Park Property Owners Association (MPPOA) said, in a media statement to Lowvelder, “MPPOA is extremely disturbed at the news of the armed attack on an elderly lady in Marloth Park this past weekend. This is after the serious lack of access control has been brought to the attention of the municipality on numerous occasions since 2012 and even to the point of taking this to the media two weeks ago.
“To date, we have had no response or recognition of this problem by the NLM. The supposed security at the gates is beyond a joke, and little or no access control is applied in any consistent way by the contractor appointed by the municipality to serve at the conservation area of Marloth Park. No public participation by NLM has been performed in order to establish what is required by the community nor has there been any input regarding the tender requirements or process for this gate security.
Also read: Property owners to withhold payment of levy
“Marloth Park property owners pay a voluntary gate levy for access control and safety of the wildlife in the conservation area. Recent requests by individuals to no longer pay this voluntary fee which is added to the rates account have been met with absolute disregard by the municipality and in some instances, the property owners were informed that this fee was mandatory.
“No public participation has taken place for application to apply a mandatory gate fee and currently MPPOA has proof that only some property owners are actually charged for this fee. No other community in Nkomazi pays a gate fee whether voluntary or mandatory that we know of.
“The safety of the Marloth Park residents is being severely compromised due to this apathetic service received from the service provider as well as total indifference by NLM. MPPOA will once again be left no alternative other than to take this issue up in any and all possible channels available to them. The municipality will be given an ultimatum for this to be discussed with a resolution and a plan of action with deadlines to be implemented. If this fails to get a response from NLM, MPPOA will have no alternative other than to take further action be this either legal or other to address this ongoing problem.”
Mr Cyril Rapinga, spokesman for NKM, didn’t respond to enquiries at the time of going to print. Provincial police spokesman Brig Selvy Mohlala, also failed to comment.
