From hero to zero
He didn’t save me, he nearly cost me my life.” These were the words of
Jutta Heidemann (73), a resident of the Groenkloof Woods retirement village, nearly two weeks after she was mercilessly attacked in her home in the complex.
According to Heidemann the security guard that reportedly saved her life, had misinterpreted the situation to such an extent, that he actually thought her assailent was her saviour.
She relived the events of that fateful evening during an exclusive interview with the
George Herald this week.
The assault
Heidemann was attacked when she surprised an intruder in her house after taking her cat for a walk on Monday evening 7 August at about 17:30.
The suspect hit her over the head, shoulders, ribs, wrists and face with a heavy antique rifle, a collector’s item she kept in her bedroom. He demanded money, her flatscreen TV, laptop and DSTV decoder. After robbing and assaulting
Heidemann, the suspect forced her into the driver’s seat of her car and ordered her to drive out of the complex. “He said I must drive him to Knysna Road where he would let me go and he would take the car,” she said.
At the gate
“When leaving the complex, the gate opens automatically. Halfway through the gate I stopped the car and opened my window. The guard came out of the guard house and noticed that I was covered in blood. He asked what had happened, but before I could answer, the suspect answered him in an African language. They had a short conversation, after which I asked the guard whether he was going to help me. The guard said no, because the man who was with me said he works for me and will help me to get to hospital,” she said.
According to Heidemann the guard didn’t confirm the suspect’s employment with her or whether she was really on her way to the hospital. He also didn’t call for help.
At that moment Heidemann got out of the car. The suspect also got out and said, “Let’s go, let’s go to the hospital now.” Heidemann refused.
She said while they were standing at the gate, her neighbours returned from an outing and stopped their vehicle to see what was going on. “As the husband came toward us, the attacker ran back into the complex and disappeared. My neighbour gave chase, but the security guard hesitated before also running after them,” she said. This incident sparked fear in many of the other elderly and frail residents in the complex.
After robbing and assaulting Heidemann, the suspect forced her into the driver’s seat of her car and ordered her to drive out of the complex.
“We were never scared before, but now we are. We are concerned about the security of this place,” a resident said.
No one has been arrested, but the police released an identikit of a suspect wanted in connection with the house robbery and assault on Heidemann.
After the incident Heidemann was taken to the George Hospital by ambulance. The next day she was admitted to Groenkloof’s in-house care unit, from where she was discharged last Friday. She is currently recovering at home with the help of a friend from Mossel Bay.
Jan Pienaar, Groenkloof managing director, responds:
“We sincerely sympathise with Mrs Heidemann, members of the Groenkloof community and others affected by the incident.
“Groenkloof refrains from disclosing our detailed multiple and intrinsic security measures in the media as this can affect the safety of our residents.
The safety of every Groenklower is extremely important to us and therefore a combination of security measures are in place. A security guard is stationed at each entrance gate and Suiderkruis Security’s George offices are also on Groenkloof’s premises. This puts us at the forefront to handle security issues and ensure quick response times.”
Gideon Maree, Suiderkruis Security CEO, responds:
“Due to the matter still being under investigation, I can unfortunately only send you a short response at this stage.
We regret the incident and are doing our utmost to assist in the investigation. There are unfortunately contradictory statements at this time.
The case is being investigated by the police and we are waiting for the investigation to be finalised.
The security is done according to the mandate of Groenkloof residents and it is clear that the safety of the residents is a priority to the developers.”