Letters: Couple attacked, equipment stolen

My daughter and son in law experienced a house robbery in their new home in the Loxley Estate at Sheffield Beach. They were woken by five men armed with pangas, knives and screwdrivers surrounding their bed at 1am on Saturday.
They were bound with cable ties and subjected to beatings – my daughter suffered six assaults with the flat side of a panga that has caused severe bruising and haematoma as she tried to crawl to her nine-month-old baby’s room. Our son in law had his wrist and finger sliced as he tried to fend off an attack with a panga. He spent several hours in surgery yesterday, having the nerves and tendons reattached.
They have only been in their new house a week. My daughter, who is a professional photographer, had every bit of her equipment taken, including all her hard drives containing the images of the three weddings she has shot recently (the one she shot on Friday!) I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how distraught she is about this.
We immediately posted a substantial reward for the return of these hard drives and are hoping and praying that the intense efforts on the part of all involved in this investigation prove successful in recovering these irreplaceable items.
We were informed yesterday morning that the neighbours had been robbed the night before and some young holiday makers had been held at knife point and robbed a few days previously, just a few houses away. If these facts had been made readily available to all the local home owners in the area, we feel strongly that steps could have been put in place to prevent this gang of perpetrators continuing with this robbing spree with impunity.
As traumatized as my daughter and son-in-law are as a result of this horrific experience, they are anxious to get the word out, in the hopes that they can heighten the awareness of others similarly at risk the area.
Wishing you compliments of the season

CATHY RATTRAY
Ballito