‘They wanted to kill’
Highway residents on edge after shootout… now cops take action
IN A bid to reassure the public after a recent spate of murders, police in the Highway area mounted anti-crime operations in Westville and Inchanga yesterday, only hours after another family spoke of how they had barely escaped with their lives in a shootout with armed robbers.
Mark and Kanchan Aaron of Westville North recounted how they survived a barrage of bullets just before dawn on Tuesday morning.
Mark Aaron said the drama began when they were woken by an attempted break-in at a neighbour’s in their complex. The police and security company arrived around 3am and Aaron went to see if he could assist.
As the police left, he made his way back home. Kanchan had begun exercising on her treadmill in the lounge as she was unable to go back to sleep.
Aaron said, “I had just closed the gate and left the door slightly open for our cat to come in when we heard a shot.
He later learned one of the suspects had fired a shot at a patrolling security guard.The shot missed the guard, but the robber had lunged at him, taking the guard’s cellphone and cash before turning his attention to the Aarons’ slightly ajar door.
“I told Kanchan to run to the bedroom while I found my firearm. I was standing in the passage facing the front door, when I saw a guy wearing a balaclava and grey jacket push open the front door. The next thing he fired a shot, hitting the wall right next to me.”
Aaron fired back and the hooded man let off a volley of bullets, shattering the mirror in the lounge while stuffing from the furniture flew everywhere.
Aaron said he could see two other men with the hooded man, and spotted more men outside his verandah doors trying to force their way in.
“We think there were about seven men,” he said. His wife pressed the panic button to alert their security company.
“I peeped into the passage and all I remember seeing was a hand with the gun. They were on a mission to get in. I was screaming and Mark was shouting at them, but they… were just silent.
“Some of the bullets ricocheted around the room, while some shattered. The noise was deafening. I felt that before help came, they were going to kill us,” said Kanchan.
She added that the incident had been so traumatic, she was having difficulty eating and sleeping.
Aaron said the police responded quickly as they had only just left the complex. “The armed men retreated about 20m and stood staring at me. They were not worried about getting away,” he said. They left just before the police arrived.
This follows a similar event two weeks ago when Westville resident Gary Mackay was gunned down in cold blood by three intruders. The intruders then held his wife and two small daughters at knifepoint as they robbed the house.
Mackay’s killing was the third of its kind in the suburb this year. Gordon Donaldson and Pierre van Schalkwyk were both shot dead in their homes in break-ins. Yesterday, Pinetown’s new SAPS cluster commander, Major General James Sayer confirmed a police operation had taken place in Westville.
Chairperson of the Westville Community Policing Forum (CPF), Mike Myers said last night the operation had been “outstanding in building the relationship between the community and the police.”
Sayer is a veteran police officer of 37 years and has served in a number of areas including Umlazi and Kwadabeka. He was also included in the provincial “war room” which was set up in late 2009 before the 2010 World Cup, as well as being the Provincial Co-ordinator of the reaction group for the World Cup.
The cluster includes Pinetown, Westville, Kwadabeka, Hillcrest, Inchanga, Msunduzi, Hammarsdale and Mpumalanga. He said partnership with the community was crucial in the fight against crime and police focus would be on the trio crimes – house robberies, business robberies and hijacking. KZN SAPS media spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Shooz Magudulela confirmed the shooting at the Aaron’s home and said investigations were continuing. Send your comments to satmail@inl.co.za