MBOMBELA – No arrests have been made since the attack on the Pienaar family at Panorama Village on Monday. Authorities have issued a warning to be on the lookout for two armed men who overpowered the family around 20:00.
The suspects held them at gunpoint while they were having dinner. According to one of the victims, Mr Pienaar, the gunmen forced him to the ground and tied his hands and feet with wire before assaulting him. “They asked me for cash and I told them where it was kept,” he said. One went upstairs but couldn’t find it. He returned and took Pienaar’s wife upstairs after which she showed him where the cash was. The other suspect then took the family upstairs, tied them up and forced them to the ground.
“I remember hearing them argue about something while we were lying on the ground, but I couldn’t figure out what it was about. They addressed us in broken English and because I have worked in Mozambique, I figured out that the language they spoke was a dialect used in northern Mozambique,” said Pienaar.
He added that the two men wore black overalls, with matching black safety shoes. When the suspects noticed the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, they fled the scene. It is still unclear whether they fled on foot or by vehicle. Bossies Community Justice (BCJ), Hi-Tech Security Nelspruit and the SAPS Flying Squad arrived shortly after the incident. Because the suspects did not wear any gloves, police immediately tried to dust for fingerprints. By the time of going to press, the results were still unknown.
Community members are warned not to approach the suspects as they are armed and extremely dangerous. “I do believe that this is not the alleged ‘panga gang’,” said Mr Jacques Meiring of BCJ.
Though assaulted, the Pienaar family did not sustain any serious injuries but were extremely traumatised. The suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash and other valuable items. “We are very glad to have survived this horrible experience,” said Pienaar.
