A woman (50) and her son (20) were held at knifepoint and assaulted for over an hour on their farm outside Brits on Saturday, before robbers forced them into the bush and tied them to tree stumps.
The robbers then fled with household items and clothes.
Annemarie Byleveldt and her son Pietman Diedericks were watching television in her bedroom on a farm in Krokodildrift West outside Brits around 01:30 Saturday morning when three men, armed with a knife and sticks broke a window and overpowered them.
“We were watching television when the three men ran into the room and grabbed us both. They took our cellphones and when I screamed, one hit me repeatedly with a stick over my whole body,” Annemarie told Kormorant. “They told us to cooperate or they would use force. They tied up my son and asked where the guns and money were. My dog was barking and they hit her.”
When Annemarie told them they had no guns or money, the robbers assaulted Pietman. “They told me to close my eyes. They grabbed Pietman and took him out of the room, and when I asked where they were taking him, one told me to keep quiet. He then came to me and started pulling my pants down. I begged him in God’s name to take everything but not to rape me. He then left.”
Annemarie said the three robbers took their time ransacking the house. “They took things like my hairdryer, a gas plate, clothes and shoes, but strangely not the television sets, and went outside where I could hear them loading it in a car. They then told us to get blankets and forced us into the bush. After walking for about five minutes, they told us to lie down on the blankets and we were tied up and then tied to tree stumps. They said they were going back for the ‘old people’, my parents-in-law who live on the same property.”
Pietman managed to get his hands loose and untied his mother. They ran to neighbours for help. In the meantime, Annemarie’s parents in law noticed that the outside light at Annemarie’s house was off and became suspicious. They pressed the panic button to alert the security company. Security officers and members of the neighbourhood watch, responded immediately. The police were called out to the scene.
Annemarie has sustained serious bruises.
The police are still looking for the three attackers.