MBOMBELA – A local family feared the worst upon learning that Mr Werner van Vuren (29) had been shot during a botched robbery on Wednesday.
This, barely two months after his brother, Mr Renier van Vuren (31), died in a motorcycle accident.
Werner, however, was lucky enough to escape with only a flesh wound and told Lowvelder about the incident from a hospital bed at Mediclinic.
He is the transport manager at KLL Distributors in Rocky Drift and opened the office shortly before 06:00.
“I always leave the security gate a little ajar as my colleague James Moela comes in just after me. I switched on the lights and went to put my bag in the office. When I turned around two men were standing there.”
They wore hoodies which obscured their faces.
“At first I thought they were some of my drivers, but then one asked, ‘Where is the money?'”
Werner said he thought the firearms might not be real.
“The one hit me against the side of my face with his gun. Then he pushed the barrel against my chin. When I heard the other one cock his weapon I knew they were going to shoot me.”
His father taught him to fight back and he did. He pushed the barrel away from his head, and a shot went off and hit him in the shoulder. The bullet only hit soft tissue.
In the struggle Werner managed to pull the hoodie off his attacker’s face.
“He would have killed me if he could. He looked… like somebody you should be afraid of.”
Suddenly the men fled. Werner added that they might have been surprised when he fought back.
His wife, Ms Desireé van Vuren, who is expecting the couple’s second child in September, explained that the office is small and lined with steel lockers which could have amplified the sound of the shot.
With his ears still ringing Werner gave chase and shut the security gate behind them.
Not realising he had been shot, he pushed the security company’s panic button. Only then did he realise he was bleeding.
J&M Security phoned him – one of J&M’s personnel always phones at that time when he opens and at night when he locks up. But this time around the panic signal alerted them and they enquired about it.
The five minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive felt like an eternity to Werner. By then Moela had arrived and supported him.
“When I stuck my hand into my shirt there was a lot of blood. I couldn’t tell where I had been hit.”
He phoned his father first. He usually sends his dad an early morning message to tell him that he loves him. On Wednesday he called him 20 minutes later with the dreaded news.
“I said I was shot and I didn’t know how long I had to live.” He managed to remain calm.
Werner then phoned his wife. On his way to work he had sent her messages about how much he missed his late brother. Minutes later she received the call.
Werner did not want to go to work that day as he had started feeling ill the night before. Later, in hospital he was diagnosed with pneumonia.
He said his feeling a bit “off” might be why he had not driven around the lot looking for the night guard when he arrived at work that day, as he always did.
“It remains strange to me that they didn’t take anything,” he said. “I can’t understand why they didn’t even go near the safe.”
CCTV footage revealed that a third attacker had been waiting outside.
Desireé said it seemed as though they knew what Werner’s movements were going to be.
Spokesman for the White River police, WO Gugu Phiri, confirmed that no suspects have been apprehended. They are investigating a case of attempted robbery.
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Man shot in armed robbery. Wednesday June 22, 13:02
ROCKY DRIFT – The victim was shot in his shoulder.
Police said at this time it doesn’t look as though anything was taken.
They are investigating the matter.
The victim has been admitted to Mediclinic Nelspruit.
