Second break-in at retirement village

IN the second such incident at the same Jeffreys Bay retirement village in two months, an elderly couple was attacked and robbed inside their cottage.

Yesterday’s attack at the Edenglen Retirement Village also comes a week after Sandra Haupt, 72, died in hospital after being beaten during a robbery at her cottage in Nazareth House in Central, Port Elizabeth. Police spokeswoman Captain Gerda Swart said that the latest attack at the Edenglen village happened at about 2am while the couple, both in their 70s, was asleep.

“Two suspects entered the house and overpowered the couple,” Swart said.

“They were threatened with knives before the men made off with their television, jewellery and money,” Swart said.

The latest attack had striking similarities to last month’s incident.

The men, wearing balaclavas, gained entry to the cottage through an open window after scaling the perimeter fence.

Newly appointed Humansdorp Cluster commander, Brigadier John Lebok, said: “Crimes committed against the elderly are a priority for the police.

“We will do everything in our power to apprehend the suspects.

“We will also ask security companies to be more visible and increase patrols at the complex.” Last month, three men broke into the Edenglen village and attacked a 77-year-old woman who was sleeping.

Police were alerted when neighbours heard cries for help.

Police have confirmed that Haupt’s murder appears to have been a botched robbery.

It was initially registered as a natural death but, days later following a postmortem, it was revealed that she had been beaten.