Skin colour saves robbed family

2006-03-23 22:32

Virginia Keppler

Pretoria - "You are darkies, so we won't hurt you. We thought white people were living here," said four armed men as they robbed a Centurion family.

Then, Trevor Chiliza and his wife, Charmaine, were tied up with their hands behind their backs and their year-old baby was pushed under the blankets.

They had to wait for more than an hour for police and Chubb Security to turn up. Mrs Chiliza said: "We are angry, because we expected them to come at once."

Gert van Niekerk, a neighbour, said he had called the police twice.

"Every time I called they just said they were on their way. It's scandalous," he said.

Mrs Chiliza said her husband was on his way to work when robbers overpowered him in the driveway and held a gun to his head.

Husband told to kneel

"They entered the house where my baby and I were still sleeping.

"They told me to lie on my stomach and tied my hands with electric cable. My child woke up and got off the bed.

"One of the robbers picked her up and put her under the blankets next to me. I wanted to hold her, but could not. It was frightening," she said.

Her husband was told to kneel with his head touching the floor. His hands were also tied behind his back.

The robbers took two hi-fi sets, a sound system and various other items before leaving.

Mrs Chiliza said: "I pressed the panic button with my tied hands, ran outside and called for help. I showed the neighbours that my hands were tied."

Police 'were told it was a burglary'

Superintendent Piletji Sebola confirmed that police had taken their time in going to the house.

"Police were told it was a burglary, and not an armed robbery," he said.

Sebola said the misunderstanding would be investigated.

By late on Thursday, the security company had not reacted to Beeld's enquiries.

- Beeld