Family severely traumatised after armed robbery

The Strydom family was spending a quiet evening at home when they suddenly found themselves in the middle of a bone-chilling ordeal on 28 January.

Rebecca Strydom’s (34) husband Nico (35) was working on an in-law’s vehicle in the back of the property when her little dogs started barking incessantly at about 9pm.

She went to look several times to see what upset them but was non the wiser. Unbeknownst to the Strydoms there were three intruders hiding in their kitchen. Two of the armed robbers ambushed her husband in the kitchen and a third surprised her in her bedroom at approximately 10pm.

The two armed robbers warned her husband that they would kill him if he pressed the panic button. In the meanwhile the third robber was manhandling Rebecca in the room, ordering her to lay face down on the bed.

All this time their children, a boy (12) and girl (9), were sound asleep in their bedrooms.

Eventually the robbers brought her husband to the bedroom as well and tied up both on the bed.

The robbers repeatedly demanded guns and wanted to know where the safe was. The Strydoms own neither.

They then took a few thousand rands worth of jewellery, cellphones, DVDs, a television set and cash from the family. Without waking their daughter they also took a game console and cellphone from her room but left the boy’s room.

After this they made off with the goods in Rebecca’s Ford Ka.

She managed to untie herself and after untying her husband the couple screamed for help, which lead to the neighbours calling the police.

“The SAPS was fantastic. They responded quickly, were helpful and even calmed down my daughter. They also immediately organised a trauma councillor for us,” says Rebecca.

“We are grateful to be alive but the whole family lives in fear now. People must be alert and get involved with their blockwatches,” says Rebecca.

Nico was too traumatised to speak to the Record.