Robbery victim doubts MEC

A RETIRED SABC senior producer, who was recently attacked in his Westville home, has dismissed a promised government clampdown on criminals as “hot wind”.

Ashok Ramsarup told POST that two knife-wielding robbers, who gained access to his Durwent Road property, could have killed him.

Ramsarup said his domestic worker had been taking clothes off the washing line when she noticed the two men on the property.

She apparently screamed for help, but Ramsarup did not hear her.

“By the time I heard one of the men’s voices, he was already standing next to me, so it was too late to press the panic button,” said Ramsarup, who was watching television.

He got into a tussle with the man and in the process his new shirt was ripped.

Both he and his domestic worker were then taken to the kitchen where they were tied up, while the intruders ransacked his home.

“They stole all the jewellery, which included a Guess watch, my wife’s mungal sutra chains, my cellphone and laptops.”

The items were placed in shopping bags before the men left about 30 minutes later.

“During this time all I could think about was getting killed. Isn’t this the trend these days? Robbers have no mercy.”

After they left, Ramsarup and the domestic worker managed to loosen the ties on their hands.

He ran outside looking for help but there was no one in sight.

The domestic worker pressed the panic button and his private security company arrived followed by the police.

Ramsarup said this was the second robbery at his home. The first was in 2010. Regardless, he intends staying in Westville but will beef up security. “Where do we go to?” On hearing of KZN Safety MEC Mxolisi Kaunda’s comments about criminals being brought to book, Ramsarup said he believed nothing would come of it.

“At the end of the day, what do they do? Have meetings and attack one another. Look at the State of the Nation Address and the calibre of politicians we have.”

Kaunda said police and community crime fighting structures had been primed to deal head-on with Westville’s problems.

He was commenting in the wake of a shoot-out between criminals and the police, in which a suspect was killed.

He added that the police were making inroads arresting the masterminds behind the spate of robberies in the area.

In Westville North, the police have set up a mobile CCTV centre to capture criminals in action.