Armed robbers terrorise suburb
RUTHLESS armed robbers have struck at random at several homes in a once posh Durban suburb within the space of 30 minutes, leaving a trail of terrified residents in their wake.
Seemingly no longer content targeting specific homes to plunder, and with no concern of being caught, they’ve spread panic in Reservoir Hills over the past week.
On Friday night, five men armed with crowbars and iron rods, wearing caps to block their face, hit three homes in half an hour.
The suspects first held up a family at Magpie Avenue, then proceeded to the next street, Kies Avenue, and attempted to break into a house, but the homeowner’s screams for help scared them off.
The men then attacked an elderly couple a few doors away.
The couple described their attackers as young and ruthless.
“My wife, daughter and I had just finished supper and we were sitting in our lounge waiting for our son to come home from work,” said the 70-yearold homeowner, who requested anonymity.
“We heard a rattling at our driveway gate and assumed it was him. When the noise started to get louder my wife peeped out the window to see what was happening.”
His 65-year-old wife was shocked to see about five armed men enter her yard.
“I stood at the door shaking and within seconds our front door gate was opened. The men kicked our dog in the face and then kicked down the door.
“Two suspects entered the house while the other three kept guard on the veranda,” she said.
“One robber pushed me on to a sofa and started pulling the jewellery off my hands.”
The woman said the suspect was rough. Scared he might hit her, she told him she would give the jewellery to him.
A second suspect accosted her husband.
“All I could hear was my wife screaming. Our daughter, who is handicapped, was standing in our passage. The robber shoved me on to a sofa. He demanded my firearm and the keys to my safe.”
The retired estimator for an engineering company said that when he told the suspect he did not have a safe or firearm, the robber took his crowbar to hit him on the head.
“Using both my hands, I blocked my face and head. The robber stopped in his tracks when he saw my gold plated watch, which he took.”
He said both men started searching the lounge area and took the keys to his car, a cellphone and his television set.
“Before leaving, they pushed my wife into a corner and my daughter to the floor. She could not understand what was happening and was hysterical.
“Within 10 minutes they were out the door. I called 10111 and neighbours for assistance.”
He said the robbers were organised.
“They were keeping time because their accomplices on the verandah kept on telling them the time.”
The couple have been living in Reservoir Hills for about 50 years. Now, for the first time, they are terrified to even go to bed.
Other residents said their lives had been turned upside down by spiralling crime.
“We cannot leave our home unattended. Even with security and alarms, these criminals come into our home. We live in fear of being attacked,” said a father of two.
Another resident said the community had done everything in its power to reduce crime in the area.
“We have WhatsApp crime groups, patrols and guards on certain streets, but these criminals are so brazen. I don’t know what else to do,” said a 45-year-old woman.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said the incidents were being investigated.