‘One stood over him while firing the shots’
Akasia High School deputy principal Johan du Toit is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot nine times during a house robbery in his home.
|||Pretoria - Akasia High School deputy principal Johan du Toit is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot nine times during a house robbery in his home in Nina Park.
Du Toit, 58, is in critical condition in a Pretoria hospital following the robbery on Saturday morning.
“He is alive but in critical condition,” said Retha du Toit, his wife.
She said she, her husband and their 30-year-old son were in the house when the robbery took place.
“At around 4am, I heard noises and told my husband someone was in the house,” Retha said.
Her husband went downstairs to check and the robbers began shooting at him.
“My son and I tried to go downstairs but the robbers were shouting at us to go back upstairs.”
She said the men continued shooting at her husband - one even stood over him while firing the shots.
“I went to the veranda by my room and shouted for help and the neighbours called for help.”
The robbers made off with a plasma TV and left Johan with devastating wounds to his body.
“My husband was alive and talking after the shooting. He was very worried about us and during the shooting he shouted for us to stay upstairs.” Retha said the police arrived very quickly and transported her husband to hospital while another team stayed to make sure she and her son were fine.
“Those people just kept shooting. They just wouldn’t stop. It’s like they enjoyed what they were doing.”
She said there was construction around the complex they lived in and every time such work was being done robberies were high. However, this was the first time the family had experienced a robbery in their home.
“I’m feeling better now after the shock. My husband is still critical, but better. He has regained some colour but he is not out of danger yet.”
Pretoria North police spokeswoman Captain Rheneith Mmotlana confirmed that a house robbery had taken place at 4am on Saturday.
“They forced the door open with a crowbar. The victim went downstairs to investigate. While descending the stairs he found three suspects in the living room. They fired at him several times and he was struck in the upper body,” Mmotlana said.
No suspects had been arrested.
Retha said she was angry that they tried to kill her husband over a TV but praised the police for their speedy response.
nomaswazi.nkosi@inl.co.za
Pretoria News