A 47-year-old man has been charged with the murder of an 85-year-old Vanguard Estate pensioner, say police.
Alfred Driver, 85, was attacked by an intruder and stabbed 17 times in his neck and upper body after he went to investigate a noise that woke him and his wife at about 3.20am on Monday September 5, according to Manenberg police spokesman Captain Ian Bennett.
Mr Driver was rushed to hospital but died shortly afterwards.
The suspect was arrested the following day and charged after a witness identified him, Captain Bennett said.
The man appeared in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Thursday September 8.
Vernon Visagie, the chairperson of the Manenberg Community Police Forum has called on the community to stand together and report people in the area known for petty crimes and break-ins.
“We keep saying we will leave no stone unturned, but yet that stone was left unturned, and it has now become a mountain. People don’t want to speak, but they know who the perpetrators are.
“These perpetrators have a routine and people need to be made aware of this. They usually operate within the early morning hours. This was supposedly a petty crime, but look at what happened.
“The community cannot give the minority in the area the upper hand, so we need to stand together. It’s people in the area committing these crimes, and the residents know who they are. When are we really saying ‘enough is enough’? I sincerely hope that the justice system will make an example of this case.”
Last month, at community meeting to discuss crime, the Welcome and Vanguard Estate Neighbourhood Watch chairman Saleem Orrie said there had been 15 break-ins in the area in the space of a month and he urged the community to report crime (“Welcome Estate community unites against crime,” Athlone News, August 3). Welcome Estate, Vanguard Estate, Heideveld and Manenberg are part of the Manenberg police precinct.
Mr Driver’s family described him as a good family man who was humble and helped anybody in need.
• The Daily Voice reported that it was revealed during court proceedings that the suspect was allegedly mentally ill, and Magistrate Keith Lekeur postponed the case for the investigating officer to take the suspect to the district surgeon to see whether he should be sent to the Valkenberg psychiatric hospital for a 30-day observation.