MUST READ: Teenage heroes save the day

Heroes are often portrayed in movies as muscle bound men or people with exceptional super powers.

However, Ruan van Staden and Sheldon Pienaar have proved ordinary teenagers are capable of extraordinary things.

On Thursday, March 30, the two teenagers assisted in the capture of two burglars, by ignoring possible danger in the pursuit of justice.

Daniel Trennery, the owner of a house which had been burglarised, said he went out the morning to help his mother-in-law.

“I went with my daughter to help my mother-in-law with her braai and was gone for a while,” he said.

It was then Ruan and Sheldon’s heroic deeds began.

Ruan is a close friend of Mr Trennery’s son, Brian, and went to visit him at their home in Coronation Road.

“I originally went to return Brian’s Northern Natal Rugby shirt. I knocked on the door and called for him, but when I got no answer I thought he might be in the shower, so I sat by the door and waited.”

A few minutes later, two men came strutting out of the back yard.

“They asked me if I was waiting for Brian and said he was out but I could give them his shirt. I asked them who they were and they said they were laying pipes down.  I was curious and asked weren’t they scared of the dog, but they said no as it was tied up.”

Ruan grew suspicious, as he said he knew Mr Trennery would not leave people to work unsupervised on his property, nor tie his dog up.

“I found this strange, told them I had to leave and ran to Sheldon’s house, which is around the corner. I used his phone to contact Brian to find out where he was. Brian said he was in Ladysmith, and I immediately contacted Mr Trennery”

Mr Trennery said when he got the message about the two men in his yard, he asked Sheldon and Ruan to try and keep them busy while he rushed home.

The teenagers then returned to Mr Trennery’s home.

“When we got to the house, we saw the back door was broken, so we took broomsticks and went inside to investigate,” Ruan said.

The men, however, jumped over the wall to elude capture.

“When I got home, I came inside and did a quick sweep. My house was ransacked and when I got to my room, I saw my safe was broken into and my gun was gone. The men had also managed to tie my dog up,” Mr Trennery said.

The police were contacted.

“I must commend the police as they arrived at my place within minutes,” Mr Trennery said.

While Mr Trennery was talking to the officers,  Ruan and Sheldon ran into the streets to see if they could spot the suspects.

“They saw one suspect walking down the road and pointed him out to the police, and he was taken into custody.

The boys then jumped into a police car and drove with the SAPS, which is just as well, as they spotted the second suspect at the intersection of Coronation and Impala streets,” Mr Tennery said.

Delighted with the arrest of the two suspects, the return of his firearm and other stolen property, Mr Trennery said he owed a lot to the teens.

“Before they contacted me, I was about to come home. If they had not notified me, I would have walked into my house with my daughter, not knowing they were there armed with my gun. To me, these boys are heroes.”

Mr Trenney also thanked all the police officials who contributed to the arrest of the suspects.

“The quick response was brilliant,” he said.

When asked if they were scared, Ruan and Sheldon laughed and said no, as they believed they were doing the right thing.

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