Gunman attacks Caxton West Rand employee

Caxton West Rand employee, Christine van Tonder just got into her car to run an errand on the morning of 4 October, when she felt the cold steel barrel of her robber’s gun pressing against her head.

At 8.20am Van Tonder closed the office door behind her, surveyed the area and approached her car parked in front of the office at the corner of Generaal Pienaar and Ham streets. She did not expect to become the target of an armed criminal once again. Her first nightmarish experience played off in July 2009 when armed robbers came after a money bag she was carrying. On that occasion a shot was fired, but luckily no one was injured.

The first thing Van Tonder did when she got into her car, was to secure her handbag handles around her vehicle’s gear lever.

As she straightened up to start the car, a robber held a gun to her head and instructed her not to scream.

Fearing for her life, she screamed for help.

Within the next few seconds the robber leaned over her, jugged the handbag from the gear lever and threw it towards his accomplice. The two suspects then got back into a dark powder blue Honda Ballade, with its engine running, behind Van Tonder’s vehicle and sped off onto Generaal Pienaar Street and took the first available right turn (Gregor Street).

A few bystanders gave chase but lost sight of the car a short distance away.

Although shaken, Van Tonder walked away from the incident unharmed.

“The man’s face is still fresh in my memory,” Van Tonder says, referring to the robber.

“I will be able to identify him.”

She estimates that the robber who held her at gunpoint was around 34 to 35 years old.

A case had been opened at Roodepoort SAPS and Van Tonder handed in the suspect’s cap that he had left behind at the scene.

RELATED CRIMES

A witness to this incident claimed that the suspect resembled the one who had robbed them just over a week ago.

The witness passed a copy of this suspect’s ID on to Van Tonder who confirmed that it might have been the same person who robbed her.

Although a connection could be made, it is up to the Roodepoort SAPS to investigate the matter and officially link the two incidents.

A WORD OF WARNING

Van Tonder wishes to warn residents not to keep valuables such as cash, cellphones, IDs or driver’s licences in their handbags. During today’s robbery she lost her reading glasses, ID, driver’s licence and R2 100 in cash, among other items.

According to some witnesses, the car the suspects used in this robbery was seen in the parking area in front of Witpoortjie Spar on and off for about a week.

Residents are urged to report any form of loitering or suspicious activity to the Roodepoort SAPS.