UPDATE: North West father killed during house robbery

Police at Hartbeespoort Dam are investigating a murder and house robbery after a 64-year-old man was shot dead on Saturday, North West police said.

“According to information at our disposal, the father and his three daughters had a family gathering and two of the three daughters left afterwards,” Lt-Col Amanda Funani said on Sunday.

The father, Peter Dawson, and his daughter 28-year-old daughter Crystal Dawson were watching television at their house in Broederstroom around 1am when Crystal went outside to have a cigarette, Kormorant reports.

Three armed men overpowered her and forced her back into the house. They shot Dawson in the chest, killing him, and spent more than 30 minutes ransacking the house. They broke open a safe and took a 9mm pistol, among other things.

After her father was shot, Crystal ran through bushes and an electric fence to flag down motorists.

“The robbers dragged Crystal to the bedroom where they tried to tie her up. She somehow managed to escape and ran for her life,” Dawson’s older daughter Chanti (30) told the Kormorant.

“She ran through the bushes and crawled through an electric fence before she reached the road (R512) and tried to flag down motorists. Finally a couple stopped and Crystal could call us.”

Dawson’s three daughters were visiting him for the weekend. Chanti and her younger sister went out on Saturday night while Crystal stayed with her father.

“The attackers told Crystal that they had been watching us for a while and knew my sister and I were out. They said they had been waiting for us to return.”

“After I got the call from Crystal we rushed home. I was first on the scene and I found my father dead.  He was shot in the chest.”

According to Romano van der Spuy, chairman of the Hartbeespoort community policing forum, indications on the scene were that more suspects were involved.

“It seems more men were waiting in an Izuzu bakkie a distance away while the attackers were busy in the house. Dawson’s body was found in his bedroom. He was hit over the head with a firearm and then shot once in the chest. The robbers fled with the victim’s firearm and various other goods.”

The Hartbeespoort police are investigating all leads to catch the robbers, Van der Spuy said. Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.

Additional reporting by African News Agency (ANA)

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.