Two suspects are still at large after 32-year-old Annelin Basson was robbed and tied up in her Daspoort home on Saturday night. Basson was home alone and in the bathroom when she heard the garage door open. “I thought it was my brother-in-law coming home, but when I got to my bedroom, I found two guys waiting for me. The first thing that crossed my mind was my 18-month-old son,” she said.
The suspects then pushed her to the ground and threatened to harm her son should she not cooperate. “They told me to be quiet and cooperate otherwise they will bash my son’s head against the wall. They then ordered me to open the safe. It seems these men knew about the safe and that I had a son.”
They then instructed her to get a plastic bag to empty the content of the safe into. “They took my father-in-law’s books, his old bank cards and money that belonged to him, estimated to be R6 000. Luckily, I managed to save my mother-in-law’s engagement and wedding rings,” she said.
The suspects found a rope in the house and used it to tie her hands and feet together. “They placed me between the bed and the cupboard so I could not move. They told me not to turn on the lights as they were worried our CCTV cameras would catch their faces,” she said.
Due to the darkness, Basson could not make out whether the robbers had fled or not. “I waited a while before trying to free myself. All I was worried about was my son. I was worried they would take him and sell him for muti. But after hearing him shake himself in his cot, I was relieved. I then realised they had fled and managed to move towards the television stand where my phone was charging. I grabbed my phone by pulling the charger cable and contacted the police, who responded very quickly,” she said.
The police are investigating a case of house robbery. “We appeal to the community to contact the Hercules police station if they have information on 012-377-4100 or to contact the detective, Warrant Officer Nico Pretorius, on 082-778-9385,” said the police spokesperson, Captain Bonginkosi Msimango.
