TWO days after the Redinger family in Hluhluwe became victims of a farm attack, they were thanking God for sparing their lives.
Four criminals, two of whom were allegedly drunk, forced their way onto the Redinger family’s farm at about 11pm on Friday night.
Alerted by the sound of a rock smashing through the glass door in an upstairs bedroom, the farmer, Pierre Redinger, met a gun-wielding intruder on the staircase.
The intruder fired two shots at Redinger, both missed him. In the ensuing attack, Carmen, Pierre’s wife, was stabbed in the hand before she and her husband were tied up and their three children, aged 13, 11 and 8, locked in a cupboard in another room.
One of the criminals allegedly throttled the youngest child in an attempt to get the large sum of money they had been told would be on the premises. Although shaken, none of the children were injured.
Pierre Redinger’s family believes that his ability to speak Zulu helped him to calm the criminals and give them what they wanted, although there was no large sum of money for the taking.
‘A family that prays together stays together,’ said Pierre Redinger in a statement to family and friends on Sunday.
He went on to say, ‘I prayed that (the criminals’) hands would be bound by the Angels of our Lord as they heard the prayers of our children and Carmen while committing this cowardly crime.’
A devout Christian family of old farming stock, the Redingers don’t see themselves as victims but rather in the exact place God wanted them to best serve Him.
Captain Ntuli of Hluhluwe SAPS confirmed that, while no arrests have been made yet, they do have some leads to follow. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided at this time.
While this has been an extremely traumatic experience for the Redingers, the family has had ample support in the area and is looking forward to putting the events of Friday night behind them as soon as they can.
24 FEBRUARY 2014
Family survives farm attack
A HLUHLUWE family is recovering from the shock of being victims of a farm attack on Friday night.
At about 11pm intruders forced their way onto the farm, firing two gunshots as they entered the house.
The bullets did not hit anyone although one of the occupants was stabbed in the hand before she and her husband were tied up and their children locked in a cupboard.
The intruders took laptops and cellphones before escaping with the farm truck and whatever else they could easily leave with.
Hluhluwe SAPS confirmed on Saturday that an investigation has been opened.
No arrests have been made, and officers are canvassing the greater area in an attempt to locate the suspects.
SAPS knows exactly who the criminals are. This is political. So plain and simple it is pathetic.