Hobok Street residents Willie (78) and Louise (74) van der Merwe claim their kindness was abused by the criminals, who gained entry into their home under false pretences.
Louise explains they had arrived home at 3.45pm, and she went to the main bedroom where she left her handbag on the bed.
She took off her jewellery and placed it inside her jewellery box, leaving her watch and gold bangle on top of the box.
She then went to join her husband outside, where Elias Hlombana (78) – who has worked for the couple for more than 40 years – was painting the front wall and two gates.
While talking to Elias, the couple saw a silver Audi with four occupants pull up outside their house.
Two men and two women alighted the vehicle and showed interest in Elias’s painting work.
The group asked the couple if they could inspect Elias’s painting work inside the house, to which they agreed.
Willie says the four were very polite and well-mannered.
“We were in the kitchen and one of them asked for water twice, we never noticed not all of them were there,” he says.
It was only after the group exchanged contact numbers with Elias and left, that Willie started to feel uneasy.
He immediately went to investigate and Louise discovered her jewellery box was empty.
“They were kind enough to leave the gold watch and bangle on top of the box,” she says.
More than R2 000 was stolen from her handbag.
The stolen jewellery has sentimental value to the couple and is irreplaceable.
“We have been living in this house for 48 years and we’ve never been scared, but now things have changed,” says Willie.
A case of theft was opened at the Springs Police Station.
