Farm robbery: Plea for government intervention after assault of elderly Pretoria couple

Police are on the lookout for three men believed to be involved in a house robbery on a farm in Kameeldrift West, Pretoria.

Suspects reportedly assaulted an elderly couple in their home during the late hours of Sunday, and according to police, the couple has been admitted to hospital as a result. The man is said to be disabled.

“The security company in the area had contacted the police after the female victim said three unknown men attacked her and her husband,” says Tshwane police spokesperson Warrant Officer Johan van Dyk.

The robbery took place on a Gilia Street plot in Uitzicht, according to police.

“The female victim told her son [the complainant] that the suspects pointed a firearm at her husband when they arrived at the gate and forced him to open the burglar door. They fired one shot, but it missed him. The couple were then forced into the house and the suspects hit the man with a panga in his arm and stomach.

“They also hit him with another object in his head, face and body. They also hit the woman with an unknown object in her face and body. They took them to the complainant’s disabled uncle’s flat on the property. They tied them up and left them there. They then ransacked the house.”

The robbers proceeded to steal a TV, two Samsung cellphones, jewellery, power tools, four firearms and two vehicles – a white Toyota Hilux, and a silver 1.9 TDI Polo Classic. The total value of the stolen goods is estimated at R230 000.

Once the robbers had left, the disabled man managed to untie himself and the female victim before they all drove to a nearby hospital for assistance.

Call for intervention

Hercules CPF secretary Johan Cloete says this incident is just another example of the dire need for government intervention on crime in Hercules.

“I think we’ve lost the plot with all these attacks on the farms and small holdings. There’s no police visibility on the road. I know the new station commander is working on something but how did the porridge fall this badly?” asks Cloete.

Cloete lays some of the blame at the hands of political parties using dangerous rhetoric when addressing farmers. He says farmers need more protection as they play a vital role in society.

“The farmers put the food on the table. Doesn’t matter if it’s a small holding or what if they are farming, they put food on the table. So, if all the farmers are gone, what will happen to the country? There’ll be no food supply, no food chain and the people will starve,” he says.

He adds crime in Hercules is high and the CPF lacks the resources, and pleads with the government to intervene.

“We plead to the government, we plead to them, we ask them nicely, to come fight, come be on the ground. We need vehicles, we need people, we need all the assistance possible to help us fight crime. The CPF can only do a little, private security can also only do a little, and we don’t have the authority to fight these criminals with the same force they use against farmers. So we desperately need help,” he remarks.

Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to contact their local authorities.