In the latest farm-robbery incident, a couple living on a farm in the Koelenhof area was overpowered in their home by three men . The pair were at home around 21:45 on Friday 4 September, when the three suspects, all wearing balaclavas, entered.
Armed with pangas and knives, the suspects threatened the pair, demanding cash and the location of the safe. The husband’s hands were tied behind his back while his wife sat next to him. When told there was no cash and no safe the suspects left with three laptops, two cellphones and an airgun.
According to Capt Nathalie Martin, police spokesperson for Stellenbosch police, no injuries were reported. She urged anyone with information to contact the Stellenbosch police on 021 809 5015. “At this stage the case is under investigation, and police cannot confirm whether it is connected to other house robberies on farms in the Stellenbosch area.”
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In a separate incident in Klapmuts local police were investigating a case of attempted house robbery following an incident at Damarakloof in Protea Road, Klapmuts. According to the complainant on Sunday 6 September, at 02:15, he awoke to find a man in his home. The man fired two shots and fled, but the complainant wasn’t injured. “No injuries were reported,” Western Cape police spokesperson Thembakazi Mpendukana said on Monday, “the investigation is ongoing, and no arrest has been made.”
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House robberies on Stellenbosch farms have become a worrying trend since the beginning of the year. In July, in a “brazen and brutal” attack, a husband and wife were attacked in their Neethlingshof Wine Farm farmhouse in Polkadraai Road around 21:00 on Friday 24 July.
In this incident the suspects were also wearing balaclavas, police confirmed. Since April the Cape Winelands and Helderberg have been hit by several attacks and burglaries, with the assailants allegedly wearing balaclavas in all reported incidents.
