Cape Town - Radio host, Masechaba Ndlovu and her family went through a traumatic experience that a lot of South Africans unfortunately go through – her home was invaded by five men, disrupting her family in their sleep.
Taking to her Facebook page to share her ordeal, Masechaba wrote:
"In the early hours of yesterday morning, 5 armed men with balaclavas broke into my home. They pulled me out of my bed at gun point. My 11 years old son [sic] was sleeping next to me. They then led me down the passage, checking every room to see who else was in the house."
"My 6-year-old son was asleep with his nanny in one of the bedrooms. My children’s nanny and I were led back to the main bedroom. We were forced to lay on our stomach, then tied up with cable ties with our hands behind our back and held hostage for over an hour while our home was ransacked. At one point, they didn’t know what to do with us. They argued amongst themselves but by God’s grace, they took a decision to leave us unharmed. No one was seriously hurt. They fled in my vehicle and with the assistance of my 11-year-old, we were able to get help from my neighbour, Nina Maritz and her son Michael, who cut our cable ties and called for help. My family and I experienced what many South Africans go through on a daily basis," she wrote.
She is grateful that hers and the lives of her family members were spared, and for the speedy service of the South African Police Services – even though the robbers were not found, her car was recovered in Alexandra, Johannesburg.
"Many don’t make it out alive. Sending a prayer to anyone out there who has had a similar experience. My heart goes out to you. A big shout out to SAPS who acted swiftly and with care. My car was recovered in Alex, after a police chase, approximately 30 minutes after the call out, with most of the contents still inside. The assailants fled on foot and are still at large."
Numerous attempts to get comment about the case from the SAPS provincial spokesperson were not successful at the time of publishing.
Masechaba refused to comment on the robbery and asked for privacy during this time.
Supportive messages came pouring in from her fans. Some were shocked at the worsening crime rate in South Africa, and others said they are praying for the emotional recovery of everyone involved. The mother-of-two responded to those in a different post:
"Dear beloved friends and family, Thank you so much for your loving messages. My family and I are doing well. A trauma councillor came out to our home on Thursday morning after the scene was cleared. Our neighbours have been extremely supportive. The entire country has rallied around us. A big thank you to Beagle Watch Armed response for putting in extra measures in place to ensure our ongoing security."
