Farmer abducted by four gunmen
DOGS going wild, gate intercom buzzing frantically in the early hours of the morning… what to do?
One brave Palmview resident went to investigate.
To the resident’s horror, it was a highly traumatised 70-year-old man whose hands were bound withcable ties.
He had been attacked by four black gunmen at his farm at Oribi Flats, near Paddock, abducted and dumped near Illovo Sugar Mill in Port Shepstone.
The farmer and his wife (67) went to sleep at about 9.30pm on Tuesday and were woken up by four armed men after midnight.
Their names are known to the Herald, but the family requested that we protect their identities.
Police spokesman Captain Gerald Mfeka said the men tied up the husband and locked his wife in the bedroom.
They ransacked the house and then forced the farmer into the back seat of his own car between two of the men.
They drove for several kilometers and then dropped him off near the mill. Terrified, traumatised and confused about his whereabouts, the farmer staggered up Oscar Borchers Road and pressed the intercom outside a house in Ferndale Road at about 2.45am.
The resident (who also wished to remain anonymous) said: “The dogs’ barking woke me up and I then heard the intercom. I went to investigate and I was horrified to see this old man, bound with cable ties.
“My whole family was awake by this time and we took him inside and cared for him while we waited for the police and his family. He was in a terrible state.”
The farmer’s vehicle was recovered in Umlazi, near Durban.
The daughter of the attacked couple thanked the good Samaritan and the police for assisting her father.
* In another other attack, the manager of a clothing store was stabbed in Lind Road, Marburg last Sunday.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid said three men held up the manager and owner with firearms and a knife.
“They demanded the safe keys and stabbed the manager in his abdomen. The robbers fled with two vehicles – a green BMW 318 and a blue Chrysler Neon,”
The BMW was found abandoned in the Umkomaas area. The manager was taken to hospital and is said to be in a serious, but stable condition.
The owner was also admitted to hospital suffering from shock.
Lt-Col Wiid warned people to be extra security conscious, especially during these harsh economic times.
“Be aware of unknown persons lurking around outside your property or business premises. Keep doors locked when alone in the office after hours and if possible install safety gates. Do not open security doors for strangers. Be alert at all times when entering and exiting your premises,” she advised.
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