Raymond Rakow is still traumatised and cannot sleep after he was attacked in his bedroom in Fourth Avenue, Geduld on October 6.
He feels his room is not a safe haven anymore after he was brutally attacked with a brick and received 54 stitches in his head.
The 60-year-old man was almost beaten to death with a brick by an intruder.
He was asleep at 3am when he heard his dog barking outside the premises where he lives.
He went to investigate and as he tried to open the door, the door was pushed open from the outside and the intruder attacked him, striking him on his forehead with a brick.
“I tried to protect my head with my right hand after the first blow but the intruder continued to hit me,” says Rakow.
He suffered extensive blows to his head and his right hand.
The intruder allegedly said: “I am going to kill you”.
To protect himself, he offered to give the intruder money and went to open the safe.
“There was no money in the safe but I then gave him a bank card and a wrong pin number after which the intruder ran away,” he says.
Rakow ran to the business across the road to get help.
He says these people phoned the police, the Geduld Community Police Forum as well as an ambulance.
Paramedics treated Rakow on the scene and transported him to a nearby hospital for further treatment and were admitted on arrival.
Although he suffered several blows to his head which had to be stitched up, as well as four cuts to his hand which is broken, he discharged himself from hospital at about 8am.
“I had to discharge myself because I was in possession of the keys to the business,” he says.
The following day an attempted robbery took place while he was walking in Fourth Avenue but the suspect was arrested on the same day.
Rakow says he still has dizzy spells a, have blurry eyes and is nauseous.
“This is probably due to the blows to my head,” he says.
His head is still swollen but he is grateful he is alive.
He appreciates the assistance of his two daughters Yolande and Jolene Rakow, the police, paramedics as well as Bradley Reddy and Bianca Broodryk
“Their support is amazing and I appreciate everything they have done for me,” says Rakow.
Springs police spokesperson Capt Johannes Ramphora confirms they are investigating a case of business robbery and the arrest of the suspect for attempted robbery.
