'I blame the police'

2008-01-23 09:06

Marietie Louw-Carstens

Musina - An elderly woman who was cruelly raped during a burglary at her house in town last year, was again the victim of crime.

Burglars broke into the house of Ina Du Toit, 65, and her husband Hannes, 67, on Saturday evening.

Hannes fired three shots at one of the burglars, but nobody was hit.

"I blame the police for this burglary. There are burglaries in our town every night, but the police do nothing," he said angrily.

Police phones out of order

He said nobody answered the phone at the police station. "One of the neighbours who heard the shots fetched the police officers."

"When they arrived they told us the telephones at the station were out of order because of construction work."

Beeld reported on the gruesome rape of Du Toit in September. She insisted on being identified as she wanted "people to wake up about crime in the country".

She had been raped in three different places in her house and people countrywide were shocked by the attack.

In September the burglars removed the lock to the front door of their home in Bergview with a crowbar. The house is well-secured by means of security doors. The two burglars fled with R160, a cellphone and a pair of shoes. Hannes was stabbed repeatedly.

Nobody has been arrested in connection with either of the incidents. On Saturday four burglars broke the burglar bars in front of a window in the lounge.

The one who entered saw an alarm sensor and fled through the window. Du Toit fired three shots at him. Du Toit also blamed the municipality for the broken streetlights.

"The street light in front of our house was broken over the weekend when the burglary took place. I kept phoning the municipality to come and fix it, but nothing happened."

Ina was again traumatised by the latest incident.

"After the rape she spent a week in Limpopo MediClinic in Polokwane. Her whole body collapsed. She is even more anxious now," said her husband.

Musina police spokesperson captain Debra Bob said it was nonsense that telephones were not answered because of building at the police station.

- Beeld