Beloved Ekurhuleni man dies days after home invasion attack

Shock, pain and unanswered questions surround the alleged incident that occurred at a home in Van Riebeeck Park on July 6.

ALSO READ: Birchleigh home invasion turns to murder

The incident confirmed to be an alleged house robbery by Norkem Park SAPS, led to the death of Syd Syrett (75).

Syd’s daughter, Claire Syrett, shares how her father’s life changed within minutes of returning to his home along Zenith Street.

“My dad arrived home at around 15:42 and chatted briefly with his long-time friend, Dorries, who lives on the same property,” said Claire.

“The browser history from his computer indicates that he was planning his August trip to the UK to visit his family and friends.

“Shortly after, he placed a call from his cellphone to a relative in the UK before the family member heard a lot of noise, glass breaking and shouting.”

Claire said the family member, who was on the phone with Syd, heard him yelling.

“He allegedly was heard yelling ‘Get out of here’ and a scuffle was also heard, then loud moaning from my dad before different voices were heard speaking an African language.

“The line was kept open for a while by the family member, in the hopes that she might hear something positive, but it appears that he was already hurt by this time and unable to speak.”

The family member then contacted Claire, who lives approximately 40km from Syd’s home. Claire tried to get hold of her dad but the various attempts were fruitless.

“I sent a WhatsApp to Dorries at around 16:48 asking if she was with Syd and if everything was ok,” said Claire.

“At 17:06, Dorries told me that she had just been in the shower, and I suggested that she should be cautious at the property.

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She reverted a few minutes later to confirm that the back door of the house had been locked and in making her way to the front part of the property had seen a lot of blood through the window.

“I advised that she urgently get out of the property and run into the street to scream for the neighbours to assist.

“I then called 10111 and asked them to urgently dispatch a police unit to the house. At the same time, my husband Dan, continued to try to reach my dad on both the house and cellphones.”

Syd eventually answered the house phone.

“He was slurring and was clearly disoriented, asking ‘Who is this?’ and ‘What do you want?’ while Dan repeatedly shouted his name into the phone.

After a few seconds, Syd finally realised who was on the call, and replied ‘Dan, Dan, they f***ed me up’. Dan told him we were on our way and the call was cut.

“Dan immediately requested an ambulance to be dispatched. Dorries also informed me that she had safely exited the property and was in the street with the neighbours.

“They could not see my dad and were understandably afraid to enter the house.

After continued efforts to contact my father, I was relieved when the house phone was answered by one of the female neighbours.

“They decided as a group that it would be best to enter the house to help him.”

Syd was found disoriented and bleeding heavily from his eye.

“Claire said there was a lot of blood throughout the house. Just after 18:00, Claire got in the ambulance with her father to the hospital.

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“I realised a huge lump on the back of his head, and he had taken a massive blow to his face.

“He was in and out of consciousness in the ambulance and it was clear that he was in incredible pain and suffering from severe shock.

“It seems that the assailants used rocks to attack him, as these weapons were discovered at the crime scene.

“My dad was moved to ICU on July 7 after suffering a severe bleed on his brain.

“He was taken for an urgent operation that evening to remove the pressure building on his brain and, although the operation was completed successfully, the doctor explained that there was no brain activity.

Over the subsequent days, only his heart continued to function while the rest of his body shut down.”

Syd died on July 11 at Sunward Park Hospital, surrounded by his heartbroken friends and family.

When Claire and Dan returned to the property the morning after the incident, they allegedly discovered that his wallet had not been stolen and appeared intact but there was no money.

“Except for my dad’s ‘very old’ cellphone and an open safe, nothing else appears to have been stolen. Of course, some of the property’s contents have been smashed and broken.”

Syd’s family and friends celebrated his life and adventures through a memorial held at a local pub on July 15.

“It was immediately obvious that he fostered many wonderful relationships with the people in his life, although the event was naturally tinged with terrible sadness and anger surrounding the nature of his premature passing.

“My dad was funny, kind and a caring person who loved to help others.”

He dedicated his life to his family and many friends, he had huge integrity and loyalty.

We will miss his constant support and words of wisdom.

He was always there with positive affirmations. He also had the most wonderful sense of humour and I will miss hearing stories about his adventurous life.

“He travelled the world and would tell us the most random stories after having a few beers.

“I will miss him terribly. His age had absolutely no impact on his decisions and he put a lot of time and effort into bettering his home.

“Just last week, he was on the roof moving his solar panels without even realising he was 75 years old. We are broken about his death, but more so about the way that he was killed.

“As a family, we pass our sincere thanks to everyone involved, with a special mention being made to MML Security for their support on-scene even though they were not responsible for the security at my dad’s home.

ALSO READ: Six arrested for house robbery in Kaalfontein

“We also thank the entire medical team at Sunward Park Hospital for everything they have done for both my dad and the family.

The prompt reactions and assistance provided by neighbours are a true testament to the amazing community that lives in this area.

“Charles and his team at the Harvesters Pub, in Birchleigh, also kindly extended an offer to hold the memorial there at short notice.”

According to Sgt Barbara-Anne Ferreira, spokesperson for Norkem Park SAPS, a case of murder and house robbery is being investigated.

“It is alleged that five suspects entered the house, overpowered the house owner and assaulted him. The suspects took a cellphone and a laptop. The suspects are unknown and the docket is investigated by the Trio Unit,” said Ferreira.

“If you have any information about the matter please contact Norkem Park SAPS on 071 675 6803.”

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