Nelspruit – A man who fired at armed men that were attacking his neighbors is now charged for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Mr. Deon Cronje and his wife Melissa lives on a smallholding on the Cairn-road and was attacked on Monday night. Melissa had just fed their month-old baby and relaxed on the porch when three men, one with a machete and the other with arms, attacked her and forced her inside the home.
The Cronjés suspected the men have gained access through the wire fence.
Deon was in the bathroom and at the point to get into the shower when he heard his wife scream.
“When I opened the door I saw the men tied my wife and nine year old daughter,” he said. The suspects pulled him naked from the bathroom and forced him into the living room with the rest of his family. He lost his arm many years ago in an accident and the suspects struggled to tie him. His five-year old boy was very scared and began to cry.
The Cronjés’s housekeeper showered behind the house but heard the screaming and fled to the neighbor’s house. She alarmed Mr. Andre Brand and his family who live opposite the Cronjés. According to Brand, he was with friends in the house when his housekeeper ran inside and told him what was going on.
He fetched a .22 pistol in the room and stood behind a large white rock in front of his house and saw the suspects in the Cronjés’s vehicle driving out of the yard.
“One of the men got out and cursed. He was returning to the house and it seemed as if he wanted to go back to do harm to my neighbors” Brand said. The men saw him and fired two shots in his direction.
He fired one shot in the air to scare the suspects. They jumped out of the vehicle and fled. The Cronjés’s valuables were later found in a marsh near the smallholding. Brand’s wife immediately called Bossies Community Justice, Hi-Tech Security Nelspruit and the police, who were quickly on the scene.
The Cronjés are now staying with friends in the city and don’t want to return to the house where they lived only for six months.
Brand was arrested on Tuesday morning because he fired an unlicensed firearm.
The firearm was seized and he appeared in court on Wednesday morning. He was released on bail and the case will be heard again on February 8, 2015.
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