Reign of terror
2009-11-19
Lise Beyers
HOME OWNERS on the slopes of Paarl Mountain are in the grip of a reign of terror, after another violent attack on a family living in this area. A trail of blood led out of the luxury home of well-known building contractor Rinus van der Sluys and his wife Marie-Joan, after they were attacked by five knife-wielding men wearing balaclavas on Sunday evening. The men gained access to the property shortly before 23:00 by cutting through the electrified fence, disarming the ADT alarm system and then gaining access to the house. They then proceeded to the room of daughter Emtia and when she screamed, her father, brother Wilhelm and a friend came to her rescue. Wilhelm threw himself between the assailants and his sister. He was attacked by three of the men, stabbed seven times in the chest and beaten over the head. When Marie-Joan appeared, she was man-handled and thrown to the ground, breaking her arm in three places. The men then fled the scene, escaping with only two cellphones. Wilhelm and his mother were rushed to MediClinic for treatment. A massive manhunt followed with the assistance of all police departments, including a police helicopter which scanned Paarl Mountain for any trace of the assailants. The men had however already fled the area. It is suspected that they could have used Jan Phillips Mountain Drive as an escape route. Wilhelm, who is currently in the middle of his matric exams, this year played lock for Paarl Boys’ High’s first rugby team in their victory against Gymnasium at Interschools. Rob Dale, Managing Director of ADT Security, Western Cape, said: “We are deeply concerned about our customers and are investigating why ADT Security’s control room received no signal from the customer’s alarm system when the incident occurred. “We urge all ADT Security customers to test their alarm systems regularly with ADT’s control room to ensure that their alarm signals are being received.” This attack comes only two weeks after another well-known Paarlite, Pieter Killian, was attacked in his home in Bosman Street, also high on the slopes of Paarl Mountain. Also on Sunday evening, two other homes in the same area were hit by burglars, one in Falaise Street and the other in Bosman Street. The burglars were disturbed by burglar alarms.
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