Man arrested for attack on seniors
2005-08-04
THE man in detention for the attempted murder of an elderly Franschhoek couple last week, had been shown the door on the day of the attack.
Michael Dlamini (23) then allegedly planned the attack on Rick Crabbe (80) and his wife Simonné (77) on their smallholding Non Pareil, on Uitkyk Street.
At 17:00 on Wednesday, Crabbe left the holding with casual labourers, who like Dlamini had been renovating the cottage on Non Pareil. Dlamini’s services were terminated that morning.
Without realising her husband had taken the men to their homes, the elderly woman opened a security gate to the barking of the dogs.
She was on the back porch when she was surprised and bashed viciously on the head and shoulders with a builder’s hammer.
The seriously injured Simonné was then dragged and dumped in an empty swimming pool and left for dead.
The attacker ambushed her husband in the garage when he returned 20 minutes later.
Rick suffered serious injuries to his face and the hand with which he tried to ward off the blows from an axe handle.
The assailant made off with a DSTV decoder and a video recorder.
Simonné struggled out of the pool and managed to summon the police.
Emergency personnel rushed the couple to Medi-Clinic, where Rick underwent surgery. They have since been discharged but remain in pain and shock.
Within an hour after the attack Inspectors Charles Riffel and Elvin Arendse tracked down a man in a red T-shirt and black trousers, fitting the description given them by the Crabbes.
When the officers approached, the suspect tried to flee, but was arrested. His trousers and shoes were bloodsplattered.
Dlamini, from Grabouw, moved to the Langrug informal settlement a week before the attack. He was remanded in custody after a court appearance.
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