Two German families have vowed never to return to South Africa after they stared down the barrel of a gun during a recent visit.
The incident happened at the Austrian Coffee Estate, one of the largest coffee farms in SA and a well-known holiday destination that has in the past couple of months been forced to its knees by crime.
Mr Frank Krug, who came to South Africa with his wife and two girls, aged 11 and 13, on August 22, were joined by the Schneiders, who have a 16-year-old.
On the fourth night of their visit, an unknown number of suspects entered the premises and allegedly attempted to steal the wheels from the van they had hired upon their arrival at OR Tambo International Airport.
“They also attempted to steal the wheels off our vehicle, and succeeded in taking the brand-new spare wheel,” said Ms Brigitte Siegl, who owns the estate along with her husband, Walter.
Krug was woken up by dogs barking at about 02:00. Upon investigation, he walked straight into one of the suspects, who pointed a pistol at him. “He shouted at the suspect after which he, and his accomplices made a run for it,” said Brigitte.
They reported the incident to Graskop Police Station which apparently only answered the phone after the fourth try.
“They arrived about 30 minutes later, and didn’t even bother to get out of their vehicle, and never opened a docket,” said Brigitte.
Station commander Capt Sibuyane said this claim cannot be confirmed, but will be investigated. He referred the newspaper to the branch commander, WO JB Mahlangu, who could find no trace of a case docket opened on the said date.
This is the fourth successive burglary that has recently occurred. In the most recent case, an unknown number of suspects completely cleaned out their restaurant and parts of the accommodation facilities.
“They stole everything – our cutlery, towels, food processor, kettle, coasters, bed sheets and even the fridge,” said Brigitte. No arrests have been made.

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