“It was such a big shock.
“You don’t think things like this will ever happen to your family.”
These are the words of Olive Stenger, who recently lost her daughter in an alleged armed robbery in Belhambra Road, Primrose East (GCN, November 14).
Carol-Anne Pretorius (53) died after being shot by her attackers and her daughter, Erika Pretorius (26), is currently recovering in hospital after also being shot and critically wounded.
A neighbour who ran to assist the women was also shot and injured and is recovering well.
The incident took place outside Erika’s home.
The GCN visited Olive at her Tedstoneville home on Thursday, to talk about Carol-Anne.
Olive described her as a friendly girl who was always well-liked.
“She loved the water and was very clever at doing things with her hands, like knitting and crocheting,” Olive said.
She added that, from as far back as she could remember, Carol-Anne’s goal when she left school was to go and work at a place where she could care for babies, and she made this her career.
“As soon as she left school she got a job at Teddies Nursery School, near our home, and then worked at a number of nursery schools over the years.
“At the time of her death she was working at a school in the Primrose area and I believe the parents loved having her look after their babies,” Olive said.
Olive told the GCN that Carol-Anne was just getting over a terrible year and finding her feet again after the death of her husband, Neels, almost exactly a year to the day of Carol-Anne’s death.
The couple had been married for 27 years and had three children together, Glen (29), Erika (26) and Helmuth (14).
“She was in the process of moving house, so I hadn’t seen her for about two-and-a-half weeks,” Olive said.
“But then, on the Monday evening, the night before the shooting, she and Helmuth popped in to visit my husband Bob and I.
“It was just a quick visit.”
Olive described the night of November 4 as almost unreal.
“At about 11.30pm that night, I was on my way to bed and heard my daughter Brenda and her husband Petrus Kruger talking.
“I went to check if everything was alright and Brenda told me that Carol-Anne had been attacked and shot.
“We rushed to the Tambo Memorial Hospital, in Boksburg, where she had been taken and we were told that there was no hope for her,” Olive said.
“The doctor said we should go and say our last goodbyes.
“When I entered the room, the doctor wouldn’t let me go to her bedside as he didn’t want me to see how badly injured her face was.
“I said goodbye to her from just inside the room.”
Olive is now very concerned about her granddaughter, Erika.
“When she comes home, I am sure she is going to need specialised care,” Olive said.
“This is a big worry for me.”
Olive added that arrangements have been made for the care of Helmuth.
He has also started counselling sessions, as he witnessed the incident.
“It is extremely important that he gets proper counselling,” she said.
Carol-Anne’s funeral was held on Friday, at the NG Kerk, in Sunnyridge.
“I will never come to terms with this loss,” said Bob, Olive’s husband.
“I don’t understand why they had to take lives,” Olive said.
Carol-Anne’s brother, Rob Stenger, who lives in England, told the GCN that she was a wonderful mother and a good person and she will be greatly missed by all her family and friends.
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