Witpoortjie family held at gunpoint
Family fuming as they are held at gunpoint in their home
Witpoortjie — The McCarthy family is still recovering after they were held at gunpoint by eight intruders at their home in Witpoortjie.
The incident occurred on Friday, 13 May, while some family members were watching television and others were on their way to a local shop.
Charlie, who was in the garage, was the first to encounter the criminals who had jumped over the wall to gain entry to the property. They pointed their firearms at him and forced him to lie down on the floor.
In the meantime, CJ Scott had returned from the shop and seen the criminals’ getaway vehicle parked outside the house. She says, “The car was in front of our house so I was curious.” She proceeded to ask the occupants of the vehicle what they were doing.
“There was some activity in the garage but I thought it was my siblings playing around. But then I saw some people in the yard. They claimed they were looking for Sipho,” said Scott.
With firearms in hand, the criminals led Scott and Charlie into the house and told the whole family to lie on the floor in the lounge, where they were searched for any valuables such as rings, cell phones and money, all of which was taken.
“They pointed a firearm at my grandmother and told her to keep quiet. However she is old and a bit frail so she couldn’t do that for long. She asked one of the criminals if she could rather sit in a comfortable position, which he allowed her to do. He even brought her some water when she had trouble breathing,” said Scott.
Scott was forced to lead the criminals around the house as they ransacked it, demanding guns, gold and a safe. They took all Scott’s belongings, including clothes, shoes, jewelry and a laptop.
“They had the audacity to tell me my jewelry was fake, but they took it anyway. I could tell they were young and a bit jittery as they ran up and down the house. They took all my things, but only a few from my siblings. They even wanted to take my grandfather’s oxygen device, which he needs because he suffers from emphysema. It started beeping and they panicked even more. I told them the beep would alert the hospital and they seemed to rush even more to leave. They even took a bottle of wine and some pillows,” said Scott.
“They also took some bedding, put all the stolen goods into it, and then moved everything to their vehicle. They then demanded our car keys and made off with our Fiat Palio. They also took the keys of another vehicle that they did not have a chance to take.”
Immediately after the criminals left, Scott shouted for help. The Western Suburbs Roodepoort Neighbourhood Watch were on the scene in minutes and helped the family report the case to the police.
“We are thankful to them because they were here so quickly and helped us as much as they could. However, the police have only taken a statement once and have not investigated any further. What makes us angry is that a few days later we saw a suspicious person jumping over our neighbours’ wall into their yard. We tried to call the police but didn’t get a response. The crime in Robertson Street has increased. We’ve had way too many break-ins recently,” said Scott.
The criminals made off with items worth thousands of rands, including tablets, cell phones, a flat screen TV, Play Station devices, a music system with remote, and the Fiat Palio.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
