Business as usual turns into brutal assault

IT should have been business as usual for Annalize Vorster and the staff at Kwazulu Gas and Equipment in Stretch Crescent on the morning of Wednesday, January 22, until the criminal element stepped in.

Mrs. Vorster arrived at work, at approximately 6:45am, and carried out her usual morning routine as the other staff arrived and entered the change rooms to prepare for their day.

Shortly after 7:00am, Mrs. Vorster noticed a vehicle at the gate and three men entered the store, carrying a gas bottle, under the guise of being customers looking to have their gas bottle filled.

Mrs. Vorster explained to the men that the shop actually only opened at 8:00am, but that she would assist them. It was at this moment that one of the men pulled out a gun and told Mrs. Vorster that it was okay because that was not what they had come for.

Mrs. Vorster was forcibly pushed into the office by two of the men, while the other assailant entered the change rooms where the other staff were in the process of getting dressed.

The two criminals, who had Mrs. Vorster trapped in the office, assaulted her when she tried to reach for the panic button, pushing her to the floor and kicking her. When she was unable to respond quickly to their demands to lead them to the safe, they continued assaulting her.

At this stage, the cleaning lady arrived and was forced into the office where Mrs. Vorster was being held, where she was also slapped around and manhandled by the robbers.

One of the two robbers who were in the office allegedly ran back and forth between the office and the change rooms, apparently relaying messages between his fellow criminals.

Once Mrs. Vorster was able to comply with their demands and they managed to get the safe open, they ransacked her handbag and used it, along with another bag, to carry the large amount of cash they stole from the safe.

Turning to Mrs. Vorster, who was still lying on the floor in agony from the beating they had administered earlier, one of the men held the gun to her head. It is not clear what his intentions were, as instead of pulling the trigger, the thieves kicked Mrs. Vorster once again in the chest and fled the scene.

It is believed there may have been a fourth perpetrator at the gate while the assault took place, but this has not been confirmed as yet.

After the thieves left, Mrs. Vorster managed to reach the panic button, alerting Pro5 Security, who responded quickly, as always. The police arrived shortly afterwards, obtaining fingerprints and other evidence.

At the time of going to press, no further information was available.