Mphego family robbed by three armed men

The Ehlers family of Mphego outside Thohoyandou suffered a terrible shock when they were robbed by three men last Wednesday.

Besides leaving them in trauma and shock, the family said the incident left them disorganized and their businesses disturbed. The incident happened at around 13:20 at their farm in Nandoni.

Mrs Trisha Ehlers (30), who was alone preparing lunch, said she heard dogs barking outside and immediately suspected trouble. “I went out to investigate, only to be confronted by two men armed with knives. They ordered me to shut up and not to move, but I shouted at the top of my voice and ran towards the swimming pool. They stabbed me with their knives and tied my hands with a rope before forcing me back to the house,” she said.

She further indicated that while in the house they ransacked the whole house, looking for money. “I told them my husband does not keep cash in the house and they grabbed a laptop, cellphone, two air rifles, a bag with cards and medicine."

She added that they also pointed a gun at her while demanding money. They also used a walking stick to hit the dogs that were barking.

Ms Ehlers said she had to consult a doctor for counselling. Her husband, Chris, who owns the farm and another business at Tshisahulu, said he came back and used his military skills to follow the spoor of the criminals.

He said the robbery had disorganised his business as he lost important information that was on the laptop. “I cannot do big withdrawals and all my business which was in the laptop was deleted, all my records are gone,” he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col. Ronel Otto confirmed the incident and said they had arrested three men in connection with the incident. Two were arrested at Mphego while the third was arrested at Maniini.

Ndinannyi Maduka (24), Rudzani Makhaya (29) and Thuthani Munyani (23) appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Monday and were charged with house robbery. They will appear again on 6 July to apply for bail.

Date:02 July 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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