ROBBERIES SA/ANC INCORPORATED

Five Black men rob shop in Springs

31 March 2008, 09:26

An automobile spares shop in Springs was robbed by five armed black men, Gauteng police said on Monday.

Captain Johannes Ramphora said two of the black robbers entered the shop on Sunday around 10am pretending to be customers.

The two men then held up the cashier, staff and customers before three more men entered.

The five armed men stole cash, jewellery and cellphones from staff and customers.

The men also stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the business before fleeing.

A case of business robbery was being investigated.

No arrests have been made, said Ramphora. - Sapa

Liquor store robbed in Krugersdorp

31 March 2008, 10:49

A group of fourteen men robbed a liquor store in Krugersdorp, Gauteng police said on Monday.

Captain Jacob Raboroko said the owner of the Paradise liquor store was cashing up at closing time around 1pm on Sunday when fourteen men entered the shop.

Five of the men were armed and at gunpoint ordered the owner to open the tills.

The men took R5 000 in cash and the owner's cellphone before fleeing on foot.

A case of armed robbery was being investigated.

No arrests had been made and the men were still at large, said Raboroko. - Sapa

Brazen daylight robberies

29 March 2008, 13:46

By Clayton Barnes

A crime wave is sweeping the southern suburbs with brazen daylight robberies, burglaries, hijackings and thefts.

Neighbourhood watch groups are on high alert following an increase in the number of personal crimes.

A number of residents from areas including Constantia, Wynberg, Lakeside, Tokai, Bergvliet and Meadowridge have been held up in their homes at gunpoint; women and children have been pistol-whipped and assaulted; and many have been hit by hijackings, burglaries and armed robberies.

Neighbourhood watches say, on average, one in every seven households in those areas were affected by crime.

On Thursday night a Constantia Hills family was held up at gunpoint while four robbers ransacked their home. The men apparently demanded all bank cards and Pin numbers and threatened to kill their victims if incorrect Pin numbers were given.

The robbers stole the homeowner's grey Range Rover, cellphones, a laptop and cash. The vehicle tracker was activated and police recovered the vehicle within hours in Nyanga.

A neighbourhood watch patrol member said two suspects were taken into custody but police were still searching for the other two suspects last night.

"It is thought a red Bantam bakkie may be involved as it was sighted at the end of Soetvlei just before the incident occurred," he said.

On Wednesday there were six attempted break-ins in the Nova Constantia area alone, only one of which was successful. Firearms were involved in all six cases.

On Easter Monday the home of a Plumstead crime watch member was broken into by robbers, who knew there were people in the house. They fired two shots through the door and then kicked the door down.

While the man and his wife cowered under the kitchen table, the robbers ripped a plasma television set from the wall and took a handbag which contained bank cards, identity documents, a cellphone, a drivers' licence and cash.

No one has been arrested.

On Good Friday three women walking their dogs in Tokai Forest were robbed in the car park at gunpoint, and one was pistolwhipped to the ground. When one of the women, 58, was attacked, two shots were fired into the air, presumably to frighten her, and then she was forced out of her green VW station wagon and robbed of her cellphone and jewellery. The men fled in her car.

On Wednesday, two men were arrested and are set to appear in the Wynberg magistrate's court on Monday.

Last Thursday a Bergvliet woman was walking near Manson Close at 8.30pm when she was held up at gunpoint and robbed of her handbag.

Earlier this week, there was an attempted hijacking at Orchard Village, near Lakeside.

Neighbourhood watch members say crime will continue escalating until the local police are given the necessary resources and manpower to carry out their duties properly.

Allan Dillon, owner of Mountain Security Services, said theft of and out of motor vehicles had increased significantly in the deep south. "Property related crimes are also on the rise."

Bergvliet, Kreupelbosch and Meadowridge (BKM) Neighbourhood Watch operations manager Richard Bedford said: "We appear to have a generally inefficient police force that can't always provide sufficient back-up because of a shortage of resources. And then we also have the tik and drug problem in our area and neighbouring communities."

Bedford said the BKM neighbourhood watch was stepping up patrols and its "special operations" with immediate effect.

The main cause of the police's inefficiency lay in their being under-resourced, short-staffed, short of patrol vehicles and demotivated.

"The annual statistics show very low levels of crime for the Constantia Valley, when in fact crime is escalating. People are just not reporting to the police."

Police spokesperson Superintendent Andre Traut said the "perception" of a lack of resources at the police stations in question was "devoid of truth".

Robbers bomb ATM in Pretoria

29 March 2008, 09:45

Four men bombed and emptied an ATM inside of a pharmacy in Atteridgeville on Saturday, Gauteng police said.

Constable Patricia Simelani said a passerby saw four men trying to get into a small shopping complex with a crowbar around 4am.

About 20 minutes later he heard a blast and notified police.

Police arrived at the scene after the men had driven off in their green car.

Simelani said the robbers stole an undisclosed amount of money. - Sapa

Mother and baby shot during robbery

29 March 2008, 18:17

A mother and her three-year-old daughter have been shot during a robbery at their home in Rooihuiskraal in Centurion, Gauteng police said on Saturday.

Captain Julia Claassen said the robbers broke into the house around 3am on Saturday and overpowered the husband and wife in their bedroom. The three-year-old was asleep on her mother's chest at the time.

While the robbers were tying up the husband a shot went off and struck both the mother and the girl in the chest.

The robbers then fled in a white Nissan Navara, registration VKB 854 GP, that has no canopy on the back, has no mag wheels and is missing its front left wheel cap.

The mother and daughter were taken to hospital where the toddler had to be placed on life-supporting machines upon arrival.

Mondeor man stabbed in robbery

29 March 2008, 15:05

A Mondeor man has been stabbed in a robbery at his home in Mondeor, Johannesburg police said on Saturday.

Captain Johan du Toit said the man and two workers were at home when a three-man gang arrived at 2pm on Friday.

After asking the homeowner where his safe was, they stabbed and assaulted him, then fled in his Volkswagen microbus with electronic equipment, jewellery, cellphones and a laptop.

The man was taken to hospital where he was in a stable condition. The two workers were not injured, said Du Toit. - Sapa