Thugs go on the rampage at night

Armed and dangerous; a home under siege in the dead of night.

An Amajuba Park homeowner recalled the events leading up to R8 800 in damage being caused to his home. While in bed at around 10.30pm on August 8, he and his girlfriend heard a commotion. Upon further inspection, he saw someone violently shaking the gate of the apartment complex across the road.

“When the man saw me, he turned around and came for me on my property. He was aggressive and accused me and my tenants of watching his four-year-old sister being raped,” he alleged.

The homeowner and his tenants knew nothing of the incident and tried their level best to calm the man down.

“He came at me and I managed to get him down to the ground. We contacted police, but they didn’t arrive soon enough, so we let him go,” he claimed.

According to the victims, the man allegedly said he was going home to fetch his father’s gun.

When police finally arrived minutes later, the homeowner gave them a detailed description of what the man was wearing and the direction he had fled in.

“They said I must phone the police if the man returns.”

Within a 10-minute time frame, the man returned with two others allegedly armed with a panga, a gun and beer bottles.

The homeowner looked out a window and saw the men kicking at his gate.

The sound of glass shattering echoed through his home as beer bottles rained down on their roof, walls and windows.

Amid the upset, a tenant residing in the garage flat went outside only to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

“My heart stopped. I don’t know how I managed to get back into the house, but somehow, I did.”

The tenants said the assailants apparently used the panga to smash the sliding door to their flat.

“My child was in his cot just metres away. There was glass all over the floor and in his cot,” she explained.

Panic-stricken, the tenant’s partner called out in Afrikaans, ‘My kind!’

The attackers fled immediately, leaving a trail of destruction behind.

Two police officers arrived just before 11pm and took a statement from only the female tenant.

“I don’t understand why they didn’t take my statement; I am the home owner. They said they couldn’t stick around because there was a robbery in progress somewhere else,” he said.

They were unable to fall asleep once things quieted down; the fear of the suspects returning playing over and over in their minds.

The following day, a third police officer arrived to take the statements from the victims.

He was instructed to provide police with a quotation for the damage to his property.

“The cost to replace my windows is R8 800. Nice, hey?”

On August 11, the homeowner said there was an increase in visible policing in the area.

However, he was adamant enough wasn’t been done to clamp down on crime in the area.

He concluded saying next time the perpetrators might not be so lucky.

“If Newcastle wants bloodshed, that’s what they’ll get. I’ve had enough!” he exclaimed.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is advised to contact Newcastle police using the case number 173/08/2015 as a reference. The matter remains subject to investigations.

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