Woman terrified of living in her own home
A frightened woman in The Reeds is too scared to sleep at night. Her home has been broken into seven times since July and she suspects the same criminal is to blame.
Henrietta van Kramberg from the Reeds is terrified of living in her own home after criminals have tried to break into it seven times since July.
One of the suspected criminals, who she claims has tried to gain entry into her home numerous times including the last incident on Friday, also threatened to rape and kill her.
“I cannot close my eyes at night. I am too terrified to sleep.”
She claims that the same person who was arrested for the first break-in in July is the man who threatened to kill and rape her when he tried to break into her home again on Friday.
“After he was arrested in July, he appeared in court in September. I was there in court and he looked me in the eyes. The main witness did not show up, so the judge dismissed the case and the man was set free.”
Van Kramberg said that she took a good look at the suspect in court and claimed that she had seen him sitting on the street, not too far from her home, numerous times.
“When I heard someone this morning, I walked to the window and saw the same man trying to break into my home,” said a tense Van Kramberg on Friday.
“I am terrified. I do not know what to do. All I can do for now is to continue to upgrade my security, although that will not stop these people from trying to break into my home.”
With more than seven house break-ins, Van Kramberg has been left with thousands of rands’ worth of damages.
She explained that criminals have broken her backyard fence and stolen her valuables. They also left a bullet hole in her home when security guards shot a burglar trespassing earlier this year during the fourth break-in.
“It sometimes feels as if our country’s justice system has left me with less rights than those trying to steal from me,” she said while pointing to a hole in her concrete wall that burglars made while trying to gain entry.
Pierre Viviers, the chairperson of the Sector 2 Wierda Park Community Policing Forum (CPF), confirmed that Van Kramberg’s home has been targeted over the last few months by burglars numerous times.
He added that the homes next to Van Kramberg’s have not been affected to the same extent, indicating that her home is a specific target.
Police spokeswoman Captain Agnes Huma on Tuesday confirmed that a man was arrested on Friday for trespassing and intimidation.
She added that the suspect appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
