- Armed men slipped into a couple's yard in Hillary, Durban last week - mere seconds before their motorised gate closed.
- Debbie Sorensen was robbed of a ring, chain and six bangles before the robbers fled.
- Police are investigating a case of armed robbery.
A Durban woman who was robbed in her yard last week had an asthma attack during the ordeal.
She's still traumatised by the events of Thursday, 9 December.
Her husband, who threw a piece of concrete at the robbers as they fled, said the robbers would not have made it onto their property if they pounced three seconds later.
Video footage surfaced on social media of Debbie Sorensen a resident in Hillary, Durban, reversing her vehicle into her yard. While the gate closes, a grey VW comes speeding around the corner and two armed men jump out. One of them runs to the gate and manages to slip through - preventing it from closing.
Ole Sorensen, Debbie's husband, told News24 it was an "opportunistic" crime.
"They were driving down the road and obviously saw a single lady driving a car and quickly decided to turn around," he said.
Sorensen believes that whether or not they made it into the yard came down to about three seconds.
He suspects they intended to hijack the vehicle but changed their plans when they spotted him there.
Keeping calm
"The one guy actually told me to get down on the ground and I just said no, using the f-word.
"When you have two guns pointing at you, you have to remain calm. Usually, I might have done something stupid, but I had my wife to think about," Sorensen said.
The robbers took Debbie's mother's engagement and wedding ring that she wore decoratively, a necklace and six bangles.
"They were trying to get her bangles off that have been on for many years, and they can't actually come off anymore, they managed to get six of the loose ones, but they were scraping her skin off so I intervened and said I'd help because they were hurting her," Sorensen told News24.
He said the driver eventually called the perpetrators because they were taking too long.
"I was slowing them down and Debbie had her hand on the hooter trying to alert the neighbourhood," he said.
As they were driving away, Sorensen grabbed a piece of concrete paving and tried to hurl it at the car, but he missed. He said he was angry.
The aftermath
Police arrived on the scene shortly after the incident.
"The forensic department came, but they didn't get any fingerprints because the suspects were wearing gloves," he said.
Bellair police are investigating a case of armed robbery, spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala told News24.
"No shots were fired. The matter is still under investigation."
Meanwhile, the couple is still trying to overcome the effects of the ordeal.
"Debbie is nervous to drive on her own again, especially in unfamiliar areas. I'm the opposite. I want to go out looking for these guys," Sorensen said.
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