A Westville man had to give step-by-step instructions to arobber on how to tie him up after several failed attempts.
|||Durban - A Westville grandfather had to give step-by-step instructions to a home robber on how to tie him up after several failed attempts by the gunman to use a computer cable to secure his hands behind his back.
He feared that if he did not, the agitated intruder would have shot him.
Earlier, the robber who kept watch on Willem Dekker, 67, told him that he had played the piano before he became a “bad boy”.
Dekker said on Monday that he had been on his computer in the study of his Knoll Road home, when he noticed a vehicle in the yard. He said the front door was open but the security gate had been locked.
“When I peeped through the window I saw a black BMW in the yard. One of the passengers, who was well dressed and spoke fluent English, jumped off.”
He said the man told him that they were lost. They were looking for a taxi owner who lived in the area. “I told him I knew of a taxi owner who lived in Knoll Place. He then asked me for directions. Foolishly I unlocked the gate and went outside to point them in the right direction,” he said.
Dekker said the man thanked him and walked towards the car.
“I then turned and went towards the house. Suddenly, I felt a gun at the back of my head. Two more suspects jumped off the car and grabbed me by the shoulders.”
“They took me into the lounge and one of them ordered me to lie on the floor. One of them stayed with me while the other two ransacked the house,” he said. “I think a fourth suspect was in the car.”
He said the robber demanded cash, firearms and jewellery.
“I told him I was a pensioner and had nothing valuable. I just had a little cash.”
Dekker said while lying on the floor, he saw the robber instruct his accomplices to take electronic equipment from the house. They loaded their car with a flat screen television, home theatre system, laptop, iPad, an XBox console, cameras and jewellery, Dekker said.
He said while his home was being turned upside down, the robber asked him if he liked music. “It was a random question. Then I realised he was talking about the piano. I told him it was my wife’s piano. He then told me that he played the piano before he became a bad boy,” Dekker said. “I don’t know if he was being funny or serious.”
He said the robbers were in the house for about 15 minutes. “They then got me up and marched me down the passage to the bathroom. The robber ordered me to lie down with my face to the floor.”
He then took a computer cable and tried to tie his hands and legs, Dekker said: “The cable kept slipping and he just became more and more agitated. At that point I feared for my life. I knew that if he did not succeed in tying me up he would shoot me.”
Dekker said he then gave the robber directions on how to tether him. “I told him the cable was slippery and he needed to make a loop before tying my hands. He did that. I then told him to do the same for my legs.”
He said the robber then tied his hands to his ankles, behind his back. “He warned me not to do anything stupid. A few minutes later I heard the car start and drive off. I called out and no-one answered.”
Dekker said he managed to free one of his hands and after much wriggling, set himself free.
“At that point I could only remember my wife’s telephone number. Lorraine works as a receptionist at a local high school. I told her what happened and that I was fine. She then reminded me to press the panic button. The private security company responded minutes later. ”The irony of the new South Africa is that I just have to be grateful that I am alive...,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, said no arrests had been made.
Daily News