Robbers kill man, wound wife

2005-02-24 13:05

Johannesburg - A 36-year-old man was shot dead and his wife seriously wounded when they surprised a gang of armed men robbing the man's parents at their Muldersdrift home on Wednesday night.

Coenie Pretorius and his wife Petro, 34, arrived at his parent's home shortly after 22:00, West Rand police spokesperson Milica Bezuidenhout said.

A security guard told them armed men were inside the house. Pretorius collided with a tree in his hurry to get away, attracting the attention of the robbers, who ran outside and began shooting.

Coenie Pretorius was shot in the chest and Petro Pretorius was hit in the lower back. They were later rushed to the Olivedale Clinic, where Coenie died. Petro was a critical condition.

Earlier that night, the gang of seven men had kidnapped Coenie's brother, Jurie, and Eugene Pienaar and his wife Elsie as they were locking the gates of the local church after a service.

The robbers forced Eugene Pienaar into the boot of his car, and instructed the two to drive to the home of Jurie's parents.

Once at the house, the robbers took all their victims - except Pienaar, who they left in the boot, into the house. They tied up Jurie, his parents Coenie and Hanna, as well as Elsie.

They were robbing them of jewellery when the younger Pretoriuses arrived.

After the shooting they fled in Eugene Pienaar's car, with Pienaar still in the boot.

Somewhere near Lanseria, the gang stopped the car and ran away.

Pienaar managed to get out of the boot and walked several kilometres to a nearby road, where a traffic officer found him and took him to Muldersdrift police station.

After a search of the area, seven men were arrested. A licensed 9mm pistol was seized and jewellery was found in their possession.

The suspects will appear in the Krugersdorp magistrate's court on Friday on charges of armed robbery, murder, attempted murder and kidnapping.

The West Rand serious and violent crimes unit was investigating the case.

- SAPA