ANC MP Sue van der Merwe was on the phone when intruders used a crowbar to smash through the kitchen door of her home.
|||Cape Town - ANC MP Sue van der Merwe was on the phone to her son when intruders used a crowbar to smash through the kitchen door of her Rondebosch home.
Shirley Aldum of the Rondebosch Community Improvement District said it was unclear whether Van der Merwe hung up before she was attacked, but her son, JP van der Merwe, who lives nearby, arrived at the house in less than five minutes. The police and ADT Security arrived soon afterwards.
The brutal attack on Van der Merwe, 58, on Friday evening has rocked Cape Town and the country, as more details emerge.
“Two males assaulted and strangled her until she lost consciousness. They fled when her son arrived home,” said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.
But in a statement, Van der Merwe’s brother, Gordon Young, said she had not lost consciousness. He believed the burglars had not realised there was anyone at home, and fled once the alarm had been raised.
Aldum said the men were well dressed and driving the “latest car”, which the police identified as a Hyundai.
She believed they may have been the “Crowbar Gang” which has been operating on and off around the suburb for the past few months.
“The modus operandi is different though. The Crowbar Gang never breaks in when someone is in the house; they always make sure the house is empty by ringing the doorbell.”
The gang use crowbars to force their way into houses in smash-and-grab burglaries. They have been known to move around the country.
Reports initially stated that the attackers made off with bank cards, but Aldum added that jewellery and money were also taken.
“There is evidence that they tried to take the television. These are usually the items the Crowbar Gang steals.”
Aldum said it was possible that more than one such group was operating.
ADT Security said they had no further details about the attack.
“The armed response officer did not see the perpetrators. There were also no suspicious persons sighted or reported in the area after the incident,” said Rob Dale, managing director for ADT Security, Western Cape.
The ANC wished Van der Merwe a speedy recovery. Its spokesman, Moloto Mothapo, declined to comment on the extent of her injuries.
“We are in no position to discuss the nature of the injuries except to say that she sustained injuries. She has since been released from hospital and is recovering,” Mothapo said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut said no arrests had been made. A case of house robbery had been opened.
The brutal attack adds to the increasing prevalence of criminal activity in the suburbs, according to the latest police crime statistics. Between April 2011 and March last year, a total of 350 burglaries were reported to the Rondebosch police station, while 507 were reported at the nearby Claremont police station.
Last year, another gang of house thieves dubbed the “Polite Gang” struck in the southern suburbs. Four men, all well-dressed, well-spoken and polite, targeted residents in Constantia and surrounding areas.
Wayne Weimann of BKM Neighbourhood Watch in Bergvliet said: “We encourage people to be involved in their local neighbourhood watch - it does make a difference.”
sibusisiwe.lwandle@inl.co.za
Cape Argus