BOTHA’S Hill residents were outraged after Tinny Kurvis, a 90-year-old resident, was brutally assaulted during a robbery on Sunday, 13 July.
The two men reportedly broke into her home while she was watching television.
“She suddenly heard the window behind her break and the next thing she knew she saw the two men climbing through the window into her home,” said her daughter-in-law, Debbie Kurvis. She described the men as young and “well dressed”.
One of the men darted straight for her television set, while the other robber targeted Tinny.
According to her son, Dutchy Kurvis, the second robber bit his mother’s finger and wrist as he struggled to remove the jewellery from her fingers.
“It is barbaric. He bit her on her ring finger. It looks as if he attempted to bite her finger off. Her skin is not only terribly bruised and injured, but she is also extremely traumatised.
Woman (62) stabbed in the face
“She cries every time she talks about her ordeal, and just continuously repeats that she does not understand why this has happened to her.
“After the incident she is also unable to eat on her own, while she was completely independent before,” said Dutchy.
On Wednesday, Tinny’s wounds were still bleeding profusely. Debbie said, “Her hand is badly swollen, and her skin is so frail that it will take a while for her to heal properly. Every time the hospital staff changes the bandages the wounds start to bleed again.”
Grandfather (83) shot in botched robbery
Dutchy also reported that the rings and television were some of the last treasured belongings of his mother.
“They were her pride and joy. Now the rings, that were personal family heirlooms, are lost forever,” he said. Her cell phone was also taken during the robbery.
The concerned parent feels that the crime is getting out of hand in the area and that elderly people are specifically being targeted.
Home robberies escalate in Botha’s Hill
“This is the third time that something like this has happened the area recently. They know that the elderly are easy targets. It use to be a prerequisite that you respect your elders, but now they are being tortured and brutally attacked in their homes,” said Dutchy.
Hillcrest SAPS communications officer, Lieutenant France Mkhize, contended that elderly people are not specifically being targeted. “The thieves targeting Botha’s Hill strike where ever they find an opportunity to break in,” he said.
Mkhize confirmed that two cases have been opened at the station, house robbery as well as a case of assault with intention to commit grievous bodily harm. No arrests have been made.
