Su-Mari Lombard (17) recalled her ordeal in an exclusive interview with Bulletin's Joe Dreyer.
A young girl narrowly escaped what could have been a harrowing ordeal this past week on their family farm, Plaas Alexia, near Zabana outside Tzaneen. Video footage captured on the family surveillance system was published on social media and has since gone viral. In an exclusive interview with The Bulletin, Su-Mari Lombard (17) recounts the events as they unfolded.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening at approximately 20:00 while Lombard was in her room studying for a math exam. Her father, Hans, was out patrolling the farm while mom, Desire, had turned in for the evening.
“I heard our pitbull pup, Varkie, barking outside the kitchen window near the washing room and was becoming irritated because nobody had gone to shush him. After around five minutes of his incessant yelps, I went to the kitchen and opened the door leading to the patio by the washroom, to see what the commotion was about,” explained Su-Mari. “I couldn’t see what he was barking at and assumed that it may be one of our cats or bunnies and so I tried to quieten him down.”It was only when she noticed the washroom door standing slightly ajar that chills ran up her spine.
“The washroom door is always completely open and I just knew that even though I couldn’t see anybody in there, something was off.”
As her father had taught them, Su-Mari proceeded to the safe and armed herself with her father’s shotgun before leaving the house through the back door and heading in the direction of the washroom. Her father had locked the kitchen’s security gate and taken the keys with him meaning that she had to walk around the house.
“I rounded the corner of the washroom, and something caught the corner of my eye at the window, but I ignored it assuming it may be a broom or mop.” Following her gut feeling, she opted to walk around the table tennis table rather than approach the door directly. “I thought it would be good to keep some distance between myself and the washroom just in case.”
Unable to see clearly into the washing room, and with Varkie still barking profusely, she calmly walked back around the washroom towards the house. “I just knew something bad was waiting and suddenly felt anxious so made my way back to the house. My first thought was that this was a bad idea and that I had left the gate to the house unlocked so when I rounded the corner I ran back to the safety of the house. As I passed the same washroom window I saw a man’s face looking out at me and it was then that I knew we might be in trouble.”
As seen in the footage above, Su-Mari sprinted for the door with Varkie hot on her heels. She ran inside and locked the security gate behind her. Varkie went back to investigate. A short while later an armed man is seen hurrying towards the door, attempting to gain access.
“When I came into the house my mom was standing in the passage and she took the gun from me while I phoned my dad. After that, I called Watchdog, my uncle and a few of the neighbours who all rushed to our house. I went and lay on the floor as I saw the man at the door. He had shoved his pistol through the gate and was trying to get us to open. My mom fired a warning shot and he ran away.”
It was a narrow escape for the Lombard’s, and one which highlighted the importance of efficient security measures in and around the home. Although the young Su-Mari had inadvertently placed herself in harm’s way, her actions on that night could very well have been the deciding factor in its positive outcome. Local security experts agree that it is never a good idea to leave the safety of the home to investigate suspicious activity, especially at night, and they strongly advise against such action.
The Lombard family would like to extend their gratitude to the members of the surrounding farms and Watchdog for their swift response and support. Bulletin requested comment from Const Glenda Maimele of the Tzaneen SAPS, but at the time of going to print it was still unclear as to whether any arrests had been made.
http://www.bulletin.us.com/articles/news/32905/2015-09-02/video-attackers-plan-foiled-by-schoolgirl
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