The woman, who is self-employed, was a victim of an armed robbery and attempted murder in the early hours of February 2.
She said two armed men entered her apartment, which is on the first floor, at 2am.
“I felt a tap on my chest and when I opened my eyes, I realised my life was in danger. One suspect had a knife and the other had a revolver. They told me to keep still or else they would kill me if I didn’t comply,” she said.
She added that the men were in her home for three hours as they ransacked every room.
She said, “They took items that they could easily sell, including my laptop, tablet device and clothing. They also made off with one of my paintings as well as the money I had in my wallet.”
The victim, who recently lost her daughter, said she was heartbroken when she had to beg the criminals not to take her daughter’s jewellery.
“The second I realised what was going on, I asked them how they decided to target me. One of them said security had told them she was an elderly woman living alone and therefore would not put up a fight,” said the woman.
The victim had to receive trauma counselling after the incident.
She said the robbers also made off with her car, which according to her tracking company, was headed for Vosloorus within minutes of the suspects leaving her house.
“After that, the tracking company was only able to locate the car after 29 hours,” she said.
The woman added that her car was eventually recovered in Diepkloof and the man driving at the time was arrested and detained at the Diepkloof SAPS.
She said during the identity parade, she had to come face to face with the suspects.
“I was told the keys to the parade room could not be found and I therefore had to stand face to face with criminals, just to point out the men who attacked me. It was a traumatic experience,” she added.
She questioned how the robbers would have known about her living set-up without inside information.
The board of trustees for the complex, Van Buuren Estates, said security was priority.
“To that end, we have with effect from January 1 changed our security providers. The upgrading of our security system is already underway and the new company has hit the road running. We are confident that once this is done, all residents will feel a lot safer,” said one of the board members.
The woman sustained bruises after she was tied up with charger cables. She was also gagged with an item of clothing.
