South Africa P.I.G.: ATTEMPTED MURDER

Showing posts with label ATTEMPTED MURDER. Show all posts

Farm couple attacked by three black men

Free State - Willem Jacobus Serfontein and wife Anna, a farm couple in their sixties, were attacked by three black men in their homestead on December 27 2010. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWfp2UN5B224_IymoV-lEYb1PbzxtZCRcD440kT7DPqpeTdk7iDK13dVE0vO8HZHs9QFR4RrGtuLTyNVf71l9ORskUr2RInWDrXndA5eHhrLlj6d_mauRWe4BPP_A2nnG7hUG-2c1SJ8i/s1600/FarmMurdersCross8.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555914298825057650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWfp2UN5B224_IymoV-lEYb1PbzxtZCRcD440kT7DPqpeTdk7iDK13dVE0vO8HZHs9QFR4RrGtuLTyNVf71l9ORskUr2RInWDrXndA5eHhrLlj6d_mauRWe4BPP_A2nnG7hUG-2c1SJ8i/s400/FarmMurdersCross8.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 350px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 263px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Mr Serfontein had stepped outside to turn on his water-pump and when he returned to the homestead his wife was attacked by three black men who were trying to strangle her to death with an electric cord. Serfontein was injured while fighting with the men in an attempt to save her life. He was bashed over the head with an iron bar and sustained heavy bruising across his body as well as an injured hand and arm. He was treated at a local hospital. The Volksblad report does not describe how the couple were rescued and whether anything was stolen at all.

Farm couple attacked by three black men

Free State - Willem Jacobus Serfontein and wife Anna, a farm couple in their sixties, were attacked by three black men in their homestead on...

3:13 PM

Robbers shoot engineer in face at point-blank range - Pretoria

Man shot by robbers lies bleeding for hours <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjsUhyphenhyphen8psIFDx0ekIuvRsfmeCGoyV7Grs-wrqn8M-R-q5THstsJHmbOFCLZtmI3knSZ4pUOQA20pFbhFJfLRPslWiZElsvOzcgMS_hSfFAPZgbyqS7nCUUZ8mTk3nkmiUpsJJYW8XTRht/s1600/Willie-van-Zyl-robbers.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555887236285404018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjsUhyphenhyphen8psIFDx0ekIuvRsfmeCGoyV7Grs-wrqn8M-R-q5THstsJHmbOFCLZtmI3knSZ4pUOQA20pFbhFJfLRPslWiZElsvOzcgMS_hSfFAPZgbyqS7nCUUZ8mTk3nkmiUpsJJYW8XTRht/s400/Willie-van-Zyl-robbers.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>CRITICALLY wounded when he was shot in the face by a gang of robbers, an electrical engineer lay alone in his bed, bleeding profusely, for six hours until he was found by a relative and rushed to a Pretoria hospital. Willie van Zyl, 58, who was attacked during the early hours of yesterday morning, was rescued by his uncle Johan Pretorius, with whom he had been celebrating Christmas only days before. Van Zyl, who was due to move out of his Leeufontein estate home this week, was attacked while in his bedroom. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI1SSn7nw54qwDWfIm3x3Av7t1Q8IPnEktjtgb_EmblWznUMP2mg7gryF8AXRI77D2iJnRCDcvD13NQi9ujKmSXGNASWU_pUTFQY_OtLOm6kMmQ3O6u9RhpYOtXKovAstqibq3sWMixk_/s1600/Willie-van-Zyl-shot.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555886102856536306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI1SSn7nw54qwDWfIm3x3Av7t1Q8IPnEktjtgb_EmblWznUMP2mg7gryF8AXRI77D2iJnRCDcvD13NQi9ujKmSXGNASWU_pUTFQY_OtLOm6kMmQ3O6u9RhpYOtXKovAstqibq3sWMixk_/s400/Willie-van-Zyl-shot.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 350px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>It is believed that the fourman gang, who were armed with handguns, gained access to the heavily secured Cullinan Road property by cutting a hole in a fence in the back garden. Making their way to Van Zyl’s bedroom at the back of the house, the suspects waited outside before they smashed the window, overpowered Van Zyl and then shot him in the head at point-blank range. Blood smears across the walls, torn curtains, overturned furniture and smashed belongings bore testimony to the struggle between Van Zyl and his attackers. The blood-soaked mattress showed where Van Zyl had lain as his attackers carried out his possessions. A distraught Pretorius yesterday said: “As I came around the corner I saw chaos. There were appliances lying in the garden and glass outside the bedroom window.” he said. Cautiously walking around outside the house, fearing that the attackers were still on the property, Pretorius spotted his nephew through the smashed bedroom window. “I could not believe it. I thought he was dead. There was so much blood. I have never seen that much blood before.” Climbing through the window, Pretorius was shocked when Van Zyl began to talk to him, pleading for help. “I get sick when I think of how I found him and think about how he lay there for hours in all that blood and pain calling for help,” said Pretorius. A case of house robbery and attempted murder was being investigated. Several things, including a cellphone, were stolen.

Robbers shoot engineer in face at point-blank range - Pretoria

Man shot by robbers lies bleeding for hours CRITICALLY wounded when he was shot in the face by a gang of robbers, an electrical engineer lay...

2:31 PM

Man killed in hijack

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB2KQyRb6WGifJxoPIHEvDyQWQd6wISK8oW0rxYLJ7C3lqdqhMptJa_hdXYsWxakYgZqDJTctgMhmuedlQLSFx8P76qrVhfKZc_QBYlfGuzIkMvYWerzL4kYN7wHEIhOqIPN36V_b29Z3/s1600-h/crime%2520scene01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414475933214809458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB2KQyRb6WGifJxoPIHEvDyQWQd6wISK8oW0rxYLJ7C3lqdqhMptJa_hdXYsWxakYgZqDJTctgMhmuedlQLSFx8P76qrVhfKZc_QBYlfGuzIkMvYWerzL4kYN7wHEIhOqIPN36V_b29Z3/s320/crime%2520scene01.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px" /></a>A 30-year-old man was shot dead during a hijacking in Meyerton in Johannesburg on Friday night, paramedics said. "Paramedics arrived at the Meyerton fire station and found a man was shot through the heart and right leg during an alleged hijacking by three men around 8 pm. He was unresponsive," said ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak. Vermaak said paramedics attempted advanced life support resuscitation but it was unsuccessful. "The hijack victim was subsequently pronounced dead on scene," he said. In a separate incident a shop owner was wounded on Friday after he was shot by robbers in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, police said. Spokesman Inspector Kay Makhubele said armed robbers stormed into a clothing shop around 4pm and pointed a gun at the owner demanding money. "The owner resisted and he was shot on the back after which the suspects ran away. No one has been arrested since," said Makhubele. Police are investigating a case of attempted robbery and attempted murder.

Man killed in hijack

A 30-year-old man was shot dead during a hijacking in Meyerton in Johannesburg on Friday night, paramedics said. "Paramedics arrived at...

12:31 PM

Brothers attacked and shot by gunmen

With blood dripping from gunshot wounds in the neck and stomach, brothers Pieter and Rodney Bezuidenhout rushed through morning rush-hour traffic to get to a Pietermaritzburg hospital after being shot. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-L1e7E2cpdrJ4SgUprbfe8JFViA45XaiLzMGUBT4QZ2HJftXDHI7wexm-FFydzgguaLgAeQZVvsjpo3YTmaLsFVoSPkXL7IKdWE4EJUCVj7Xzo8_xCTobyNvsBILltAKmJ3dV2Uao4mH/s1600/crime-gunshot.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410096685972707650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-L1e7E2cpdrJ4SgUprbfe8JFViA45XaiLzMGUBT4QZ2HJftXDHI7wexm-FFydzgguaLgAeQZVvsjpo3YTmaLsFVoSPkXL7IKdWE4EJUCVj7Xzo8_xCTobyNvsBILltAKmJ3dV2Uao4mH/s400/crime-gunshot.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 210px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" /></a>Two brothers, who narrowly escaped death in a dramatic shooting on Monday, drove through morning rush-hour traffic with blood dripping from gunshot wounds to get to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg. Pieter, 57, and 59-year-old Rodney Bezuidenhout are recovering from neck and stomach gunshot wounds respectively after they were shot by gunmen at their workplace in the Mkondeni industrial area. "The bullet went through my neck, from one side to the other. The doctor said if it was one centimetre further I would be dead," said Pieter. "They were shooting to kill, they were there to kill us." The two brothers were driving towards their workplace at Wayne's Scrap Metal when they were attacked by four gunmen. "I saw this vehicle was driving straight at us, but when I slowed down, this car stopped right in front of our bakkie blocking my way." Pieter put his vehicle in reverse. "When I tried to [reverse], a man jumped out from the passenger seat with a gun in hand and cocked it. I shouted to my brother to lie down. "The man fired a shot through the windscreen and it went through my neck and out through the window. "Another gunman jumped out and fired again, the second bullet went through the passenger's door, hit my brother on the side of his back and went out through his stomach and hit me on the side, ricocheting on my ribs." While the guns were blazing, Pieter did not stop, but put the bakkie in first gear and drove off. "I could feel that I had been hit in the neck and my brother was shouting for me to drive because he had been shot, not realising that I also had been hit." He drove from Old Field Road to Murray, turned into CB Downes, then along the N3 highway into Alan Paton Avenue towards the city. "I was terrified, I had been shot and my brother was lying next to me bleeding … it was terrible. I had to drive on the roadside and drove through red lights sometimes and the traffic was hectic, but I didn't stop until I got to the Medi-Clinic hospital." Pieter was treated at the hospital and later released but his brother is in a critical condition. Pieter said another bullet hit the back of his bakkie. Police spokesperson Inspector Joey Jeevan said the motive is unknown. She said the attackers were driving a Toyota Cressida. Three expended 9mm cartridges were found on the scene.

Brothers attacked and shot by gunmen

With blood dripping from gunshot wounds in the neck and stomach, brothers Pieter and Rodney Bezuidenhout rushed through morning rush-hour tr...

11:09 AM

Hunt on for this man in parking lot shooting

THIS is the face of a man who private investigators believe was part of a gang who tried to kill a woman they had followed from a bank. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg19tPu3NWPD581P0V7Ua1k83kuPQi2_XO2NBNT9X7TGMhUMcBmrdBRPYJynESL51aCrmbYQ24Fw6s5Z_F6m7FvY9XZbHYUG8XWnCScrDliUIsOVl_ccYKItlcgbUwtEKH-oDt0SJJQI/s1600/criminal-wanted.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406269416617214546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg19tPu3NWPD581P0V7Ua1k83kuPQi2_XO2NBNT9X7TGMhUMcBmrdBRPYJynESL51aCrmbYQ24Fw6s5Z_F6m7FvY9XZbHYUG8XWnCScrDliUIsOVl_ccYKItlcgbUwtEKH-oDt0SJJQI/s400/criminal-wanted.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 292px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a>Saartjie Koen survived when the bullet fired pointblank at the back of her head grazed her skull. Her ordeal was captured on closed-circuit television two months ago. Now private investigators, who are trying to crack the case hope that a state-of-the-art identikit will help track down one of the suspects. The man in the identikit is believed to be between 20 and 23 years old, about 1.75 metres tall and speaks with a Northern Sesotho and Setswana accent. He also had a small moustache. Jeanette Naudé, who compiled the composite and profile, suspects that the man has robbed before, because he didn’t appear nervous during the robbery. Naudé developed the technique she used to compile a photo-likeness of the robber. She starts by drawing a sketch of the suspect, then, using an archive of photographs and the software program Photoshop, builds a face of the suspect. “In this case I would say that the compilation is about 70 percent accurate. It all has a lot to do with the person who we worked with,” said Naudé, who served 34 years in the SA Police Service before starting her own company, Crime Face. The robbery took place in August in the car park of Trio Trade in Silverton, Tshwane. CCTV footage revealed just how close Koen, 60, came to dying. The images show Koen driving into the premises of her family-owned business after she had withdrawn R50 000 at a bank in the area. What she didn’t notice was a white VW Polo pulling up to the gate of the premises. One of the occupants of the car held up the security guard at the gate while two accomplices approached Koen’s car. One of the men opened fire on Koen, hitting her in the right leg and left arm. As the man tried to grab her handbag, Koen fought back. His accomplice then came up behind her, placed his arm around her neck and shot her. The shot forced her to the ground. The robbers then made their escape. The CCTV footage indicated that a second vehicle, a white Toyota Venture, was involved. Koen is still recovering from the attack. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406271505510620530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDebnLpXB-NKyeBfUhNLeezwilNZCUi4Nn4hPs5iePxmFyAj2V1oOgaCM2_rA36cK7FXlvxPpclSebsAj_1j_qPiyGBSKHQVA21044-wLChqfYGPD3a43lQwcR1Xl94_7753f8wgWXJis/s400/crime-violent-attack.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />VIOLENT ATTACK: CCTV footage shows Saartjie Koen being robbed and shot in a parking lot.In an article that appeared in The Star last week, private investigator Daryl Els, of Christian Botha Investigations, appealed for Nombuso Nkosi to come forward as he believed she had information on the crime. She did come forward, and Els said she had been helpful. Els received another tip-off in the form of a phone call to a member of the Koen family. “A man claimed he was the driver of the Toyota Venture mentioned in The Star article. He said he hadn’t been paid his cut and that they then tried to murder him,” Els said. The man, whose name is known to The Star but can’t be identified as he is yet to be arrested, claimed he was hiding out in Polokwane. “He said he would like to tell us what happened and wanted R400 petrol money so that he could drive back to Pretoria,” explained Els. The man was supposed to meet Els on Thursday but didn’t pitch up. Anyone who recognises the suspect can call Els at 082 877 2168 or Frans Molokome at 082 682 0161. See Video - <a href="http://southafrica-pig.blogspot.com/2009/11/white-afrikaner-woman-survives-shot-to.html">Woman survives shot to the head by armed gang : VIDEO</a>

Hunt on for this man in parking lot shooting

THIS is the face of a man who private investigators believe was part of a gang who tried to kill a woman they had followed from a bank. Saar...

11:20 AM

Hijack victim thrown off bridge

Durban - A 24-year-old woman is in a serious condition after hijackers forced her out of her vehicle and pushed her over the Umkomaas River Bridge on the N2 south in Chatsworth , Netcare 911 said on Saturday. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRenQMf-RITvukALuLCGi1vlW-T13hZk1RDKxxV6eACYuF_ioT77lG7tfzPdEzAML-SZLiUycUipMiMFF9n_UfRsyD7nvWe4kStzOsDUanfdafIfzMM88lGAPFmNopXZ_-7BeuRmGO3Bo/s1600-h/umkomaas-river-bridge.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403954326779991810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRenQMf-RITvukALuLCGi1vlW-T13hZk1RDKxxV6eACYuF_ioT77lG7tfzPdEzAML-SZLiUycUipMiMFF9n_UfRsyD7nvWe4kStzOsDUanfdafIfzMM88lGAPFmNopXZ_-7BeuRmGO3Bo/s400/umkomaas-river-bridge.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" /></a>The road bridge over the Umkomaas River leading to the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal. Spokesperson Jeff Wicks said the woman was plunged almost 60 metres below the bridge on Friday night and landed in shallow water. She sustained chest, head and spinal injuries that left her immobile and unable to pull herself out, said Wicks. The woman managed to keep herself afloat for over four hours before a passer-by heard her cries for help and rushed to her aid at the river bank and called for help. Wicks said fire-fighters, who arrived first on scene, pulled the woman out from the water and placed her onto an embankment before paramedics attended to her. She was also treated for hypothermia before being airlifted to the Netcare St Augustine's Hospital in Durban and in a serious but stable condition. Her hijackers are still being sought by police, said Wicks. - SAPA

Hijack victim thrown off bridge

Durban - A 24-year-old woman is in a serious condition after hijackers forced her out of her vehicle and pushed her over the Umkomaas River ...

5:33 AM

Woman survives shot to the head by armed gang : VIDEO

Saartjie Koen was meant to die. A robber had grabbed her around the neck, put a pistol to her head and pulled the trigger. Instead the bullet grazed Koen's skull, knocking her to the ground. Her assailants grabbed her handbag, then ran off, one of them pausing to kick her in the head as he made his escape. The robbery, captured on closed-circuit television, took less than a minute from the time Koen drove into the car park to when the three robbers climbed back into their white VW Golf. Miraculously, Koen, 60, who was left lying in the driveway, was alive after being shot three times in the leg, arm and head. Two months later Koen is still recovering, but no one has been arrested for the robbery that took place in Silverton, Tshwane. It is for this reason that her husband Hannes opted to hire a private investigator. Now Daryl Els, of Christian Botha Investigations, believes he is on the trail of a gang of robbers who operate from Tembisa and specialise in what police refer to as associated robberies. This involves robbing victims after they leave a bank having withdrawn a large amount of cash. The gang has, over several months, targeted Pretoria's eastern suburbs. Els wants to talk to an 18-year-old woman called Nombuso Nkosi who he believes could have information about the robbery. She lives in Tembisa. In August, Koen, on her way to work, was followed from a Silverton branch of Absa Bank after she had withdrawn R50 000. Afterwards she drove to her family business, Trio Trade. As she parked her car, she didn't notice the white Golf pull up outside the gate. One of the men knocked out the security guard. "As I was getting out of the car, the two were on me. They didn't talk, they just shot," Koen recalled. One of the robbers fired twice, hitting Koen in the right leg and left arm. The man tried to grab her handbag, but Koen fought back. Then his accomplice came up behind her, put his arm around her neck and shot her. Just metres away, in his office, Hannes saw what was happening. He saw the gun pushed against her head, and a puff of smoke as the bullet left the barrel. "At that moment I thought she was dead," he said. But Koen was conscious. "I was fine. I was screaming 'please help'. There was blood streaming from me," she said. Seconds later, her husband rushed her to hospital. What can be seen in the CCTV footage is another vehicle, believed to be a white Toyota Venture, following the Golf. "The Venture probably had the spotter, who identified the target," said Els. The usual modus operandi is that the spotter watches out for a target in the bank, then leaves the bank and passes on the information to the robbers, who commit the crime. Police say associated robberies are on the increase, as criminals are finding bank customers softer targets than cash-in-transit vans. They are also more violent. Police believe the gang that tried to kill Koen is probably the same one operating from Tembisa responsible for a spate of robberies. The gang is believed to have more than 20 members. Koen will go into surgery on November 13. She hopes to regain full use of her wrist. She hasn't seen the CCTV footage of the robbery - and doesn't know if she wants to. <object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mPkrjjM0GS8&border=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mPkrjjM0GS8&border=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="349"></embed></object> Anyone with information on Nombuso Nkosi can call Daryl Els at 082 877 2168 or Frans Molokome at 082 682 0161.

Woman survives shot to the head by armed gang : VIDEO

Saartjie Koen was meant to die. A robber had grabbed her around the neck, put a pistol to her head and pulled the trigger. Instead the bulle...

1:50 PM

Crime costing SA victims billions

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eE3LbFYh7UvJc0l9u2jWLrx8NPfj9X80X12G4VkOb6TtRsQctWHiJ_RQw3gSne5nikDZTzYG0H0ZatKUY9f8UxWrgBZQTZDvnjP5vhv0e3a4OCaUNdCEv-IVAGi6a7M2yAgVY-f1lKg/s1600-h/crimes-10million.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314186214170951538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eE3LbFYh7UvJc0l9u2jWLrx8NPfj9X80X12G4VkOb6TtRsQctWHiJ_RQw3gSne5nikDZTzYG0H0ZatKUY9f8UxWrgBZQTZDvnjP5vhv0e3a4OCaUNdCEv-IVAGi6a7M2yAgVY-f1lKg/s320/crimes-10million.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" /></a>South Africa has notoriously high rates of violent crime. Over 50 people are murdered each day in the country, often during robberies. Another 50 a day are the victims of attempts on their lives. In case, you have forgotten about crime in Jo'burg, go<a href="http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2008/_provinces/gauteng/pdf/gauteng.pdf" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker ('/outgoing/www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2008/_provinces/gauteng/pdf/gauteng.pdf');"> here </a>to read the latest crime statistics for Gauteng.The four highest earning crimes in South Africa are costing victims an estimate of R110,5-billion a year, an expert at the Institute for Security Studies said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Annual Border Management Conference, Charles Goredema, program head of the organised crime and money laundering program at the ISS, said the four crimes in SA which contributed the most toward criminal activity were drug trafficking, smuggling, financial and predatory crime. He estimated that financial crimes "earned" the most with total gains of R80-billion to R90-billion a year, drug trafficking and smuggling of goods about R10-billion each while predatory crimes such as robbery, house breaking and theft cost victims about R500-million a year. "It's not an academic calculation, that's just a rough estimate," Goredema said. Using the latest SA Police Service crime figures, he took the average of the highest and the smallest amount of money gained by criminals in a specific category of crime and multiplied the amounts by the number of crimes during the year. "In 2009 I will make a much more detailed calculation because I will get the actual figures," he said.

Crime costing SA victims billions

South Africa has notoriously high rates of violent crime. Over 50 people are murdered each day in the country, often during robberies. Anoth...

8:32 AM

Women in vicious attack, tortured with hot irons, stabbed repeatedly, shot in the head

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0xU-60mJB0rRatqrnQPv6Bm5fZGtDGHHGFB5BabpBAawFniUdHEkhrwalgnuvLB9Y6geFJQNREmM2u9PWURxjecyGxk9R4SSdeBYXPDtz4Lb8fhukqJ7eQ02GVD4_u8ESpCeGyfkZd0/s1600-h/crimeVrouverkrag.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304619793129687202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0xU-60mJB0rRatqrnQPv6Bm5fZGtDGHHGFB5BabpBAawFniUdHEkhrwalgnuvLB9Y6geFJQNREmM2u9PWURxjecyGxk9R4SSdeBYXPDtz4Lb8fhukqJ7eQ02GVD4_u8ESpCeGyfkZd0/s400/crimeVrouverkrag.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" /></a>A Pretoria mother of three and her mother-in-law are in serious condition in a city hospital after they both miraculously survived gunshot wounds to the head and hours of torture during an armed robbery.Edri Myburgh, 26, and her mother-in-law, Anna Myburgh, 55, who were apparently tortured with a hot iron and knives, were attacked on Wednesday allegedly by the family gardener and his friend at their Bronkhorstspruit home. The vicious assault occurred after Anna's husband, Hans, got involved in an argument with the gardener over household items that went missing last week. The two men, armed with a .38 special revolver and 3.65mm Browning, allegedly launched their assault shortly after Hans left for work. The gardener is believed to have stolen the guns earlier in the week. After gaining entry into the house and overpowering the family's domestic worker, Paulina Zithobeni, the two attacked Anna as she was preparing for the day. It is believed Anna, who was confronted in a passageway, tried to fight back before she was overcome and stabbed repeatedly. She was then tied up and burnt with a hot iron as the men demanded guns and money. The two were disturbed when Edri stopped outside the house to visit her mother-in-law. She eventually got in after refusing to leave, despite Zithobeni being forced at gunpoint to tell her that her mother-in-law was not home. The men hit her repeatedly over the head until she collapsed. The gunmen then allegedly tied her up before she was tortured. The attackers, with their loot stashed in the family's car, then forced the three women into the vehicle moments before Hans arrived home. He apparently came home when he could not raise his wife, Zothobeni or daughter-in-law on their cellphones or the home telephone. Greeted by blood smears throughout the house, Myburgh telephoned police who started a massive search. Police using specialised technology began tracing the trio blocking off the N4 highway and the old Bronkhorstspruit Road after they were alerted through informers that money had been drawn from the victims' accounts in Witbank. Unbeknown to police, until nearly three hours later, was that after drawing money, the gunmen drove their victims to an old farm road near Spitskop where they shot them. Anna was shot in the back of the head while the gunmen stripped Edri before shooting her in the mouth. They apparently forced Zithobeni back into the car. Police were alerted to the whereabouts of the gunmen shortly after they crashed the Myburgh's family car when the driver lost control on a dirt road. Both were arrested. Farmer Willem Theron, who was working in his field next to the road, unwittingly helped the gunmen escape when he ran to help them. Theron became suspicious and alerted police when he spotted a gun lying next to the car as the men walked off to call "friends" for help. "When I saw the gun I knew something was wrong. I did not know they had just shot two women. If I had, I would never have helped them," he said. Edri, after regaining consciousness and seeing Anna lying "dead" next to her, walked 12km through thick bushes and fields to a farmhouse for help. Gaining consciousness Anna was able to crawl to a dirt road where she flagged down a passing motorist. Both women were taken to Bronkhorstspruit Hospital. Confirming that his father and the gardener had argued over missing household items, Edri's husband, Henk Myburgh, said they were devastated. "Our children do not know what is going on. How do I explain this to my nine-month-old son, Hein? How do I tell his sisters, Simoné, 2, and Joanet, 6, that their mommy and granny have been shot?" Myburgh asked. Unable to reach his wife on the phone, Myburgh said he feared the worst. "When she did not answer I panicked. I did not know what to think. I thought that she was dead. I thought that the love of my life was gone," he said, describing how his father, Hans, had telephoned him in a panic to say that the house was a bloodbath. He said there was blood everywhere. "In the bedroom, the lounge and the kitchen. Everywhere you looked there was blood. "You could see that they had put up a hell of a fight," he said. "They tortured them with hot irons and knives. They beat them. They made them beg for their lives. Not even animals do this," he said. Police said the men had been charged with two counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, possession of unlicensed firearms, ammunition and stolen property and vehicle theft. They will appear in court soon. A Pretoria East Hospital spokesperson said both women were in a serious condition.Updates <a class="tenred" href="http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2472346,00.html" title="3 women survive horror attack">19/02/2009 - 3 women survive horror attack</a> <a class="twelveblackBold" href="http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2473076,00.html">19/02/2009 - 'We're not ready to forgive yet'</a>

Women in vicious attack, tortured with hot irons, stabbed repeatedly, shot in the head

A Pretoria mother of three and her mother-in-law are in serious condition in a city hospital after they both miraculously survived gunshot w...

8:57 AM

Medical student stabbed in the chest by thief

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUItivP_63ciTXTMYcS4BAhRQqjYeyfaK8GDq454SgFvlOr2D88sjIJMlGZtw4WhvDg2EzZvlhWh1J3vDgF_7SprdawNejd-9GOWOg8JpYFKVEfj40juFJLQBHx95BIP1u-egflk2z7-E/s1600-h/crime-scene.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267514404382453778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUItivP_63ciTXTMYcS4BAhRQqjYeyfaK8GDq454SgFvlOr2D88sjIJMlGZtw4WhvDg2EzZvlhWh1J3vDgF_7SprdawNejd-9GOWOg8JpYFKVEfj40juFJLQBHx95BIP1u-egflk2z7-E/s400/crime-scene.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px" /></a> Yet another medical student has been attacked at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital despite health officials' assurances that security has been beefed up. The latest incident occurred on Friday, just after a fifth-year Wits University medical student had completed his shift at the hospital. According to the student, he was approaching his car parked outside the Wits learning centre at the hospital around midday when he noticed a man sitting inside his car. "He was already wearing my jacket, which I had left on the back seat, and was trying to steal my car. I shouted for help and the man jumped out of the car and started running away." Along with a good Samaritan who heard his call for help, the medical student chased after the thief. After a brief sprint, they were able to snare him on the hospital grounds and tackled him. During the scuffle, the thief pulled out a sharp object and lunged towards the student, stabbing him in the chest. "It wasn't a serious wound but we were able to get him and took him back towards the hospital and called the police. After coming back from the police station, I went for an x-ray and discovered that my finger had been broken," the student said. On Saturday, he underwent surgery to realign his finger. It is not the first time that security at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital has come under scrutiny. In August 2007, a Wits University medical student was attacked and raped while walking from one of the wards to the blood bank. The Gauteng department of health promised to beef up security, and erected additional lighting in darkly lit areas. Three months after the rape of the medical student, a gunman walked into the hospital and fatally shot a 35-year-old man who had been brought into the hospital with a gunshot wound. The shooting took place in front of police officers who were guarding the injured man. A hospital employee was injured by a bullet that ricocheted.

Medical student stabbed in the chest by thief

Yet another medical student has been attacked at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital despite health officials' assurances that security h...

12:01 PM

Luxury lodge attack leaves two critical

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOZxIHDwHaZFjkfOqI8xjIqvXhfcQKpljCNZ5FSqI1c69BldIsPYEFAdJgQ4B3hYWviTKSAUcpAoIorxkQN0uMoGHBs3VLA98SMVwFVOXc39Ei_mZdk3sq6nYc6_92o62ey17dL6P2kQ/s1600-h/rhuslancea_main_image.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259729087137931634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOZxIHDwHaZFjkfOqI8xjIqvXhfcQKpljCNZ5FSqI1c69BldIsPYEFAdJgQ4B3hYWviTKSAUcpAoIorxkQN0uMoGHBs3VLA98SMVwFVOXc39Ei_mZdk3sq6nYc6_92o62ey17dL6P2kQ/s400/rhuslancea_main_image.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>A Pretoria lodge owner and a security guard are fighting for their lives in hospital after armed assailants, who tied them up and ransacked the lodge premises, shot and stabbed them in the stomachs as they fled. Rhuslancea located in the foothills of the majestic Schurweberg Mountains, a mere 20 minutes from Fourways - Johannesburg and Pretoria. The attack, which took place at the five-star luxury Rhuslancea Lodge in Hennops River Valley area, northern Gauteng during the early hours of Saturday morning, is apparently part of a wave of violent crimes gripping the area. The gang struck just after 1am when they dug a hole under an electric perimeter fence and overpowered a security guard. After tying up the guard, several of the robbers stood watch over him while their accomplices made their way to the lodge's main house where they forced their way inside through a back door. Once inside, the gunmen overpowered the owners Riaan Malenze, 35, and his wife, Tertia, and tied them up before ransacking the house and forcing open a safe, which is believed to have contained firearms, jewellery and cash. It is believed that the gunmen then taunted the couple threatening to sexually assault them before they opened fire on Malenze shooting him in the stomach. It is not known how many times Malenze was shot. As the gunmen who shot Malenze fled, their accomplices, who were keeping watch over the guard, stabbed him repeatedly before escaping. Malenze was rushed to Unitas Hospital by his wife, while the guard, who police have declined to name, was taken to Kalafong Hospital. Both are in a critical condition. Erasmia police station commissioner Superintendent Faan Steynberg confirmed that the robbers had gained access to the property by digging a hole under the perimeter fence which is electrified. "They knew exactly what they were doing. Some went straight to the owner while the others overpowered the guard. "This is a particularly nasty crime. It appears as though the owner and the guard were deliberately shot. It looks as though they shot them for the fun of it," said Steynberg, adding that a task team was in the process of tracking down the gunmen. Sharon Bernhardt, who runs a community assistance programme in Hennops River Valley, said crime in the area was increasing. "We have a lot of robberies, especially violent ones," she said, highlighting the attack on Chris and Rachelle Lubbe who were attacked and tortured with a hot iron after being tied up and assaulted earlier this year. Rachelle was burnt on her left breast, shoulder and buttocks while Chris was burnt repeatedly on his back. The couple and their family left for Australia two weeks after the attack, said Bernhardt. Bernhardt, herself a victim of three robberies, said crime was happening more often. "The attacks happen on such a regular basis that residents are becoming used to them," she said. Agreeing, Claire Sayer, owner of Fossils Family Kitchen and Pub, said people were attacked every month. "It is definitely getting worse, especially the violent attacks," she said, adding that her family had also fallen victim to armed robbers. Captain Tessa Jansen, police spokesperson, said the gunmen gained access to the house by forcing their way through a back door before they made their way to the couple's bedroom where they overpowered and tied them up. "The robbers ransacked the house and then shot the owner before they fled with their loot," she said, adding that cases of attempted murder, armed robbery and assault were being investigated. Kate Chvitanic, Unitas Hospital spokesperson, confirmed Malenze was in a critical condition in the hospital.

Luxury lodge attack leaves two critical

A Pretoria lodge owner and a security guard are fighting for their lives in hospital after armed assailants, who tied them up and ransacked ...

12:45 PM

South Africa P.I.G.