People go on and on about the violent crime rate in South Africa. Many South Africans are prepared to leave the country at a moment’s notice. For a brief moment this weekend the thought crossed my mind too. But the reality is that crime is everywhere and here is no exception.
On Friday afternoon a couple of men walked into reception during the weekly pay-out of wages and asked for one of our staff by name. They then brought out guns and proceeded to take the money. In the kerfuffle one of them fired a shot which THANKFULLY only hit the window and the wall outside, although people were passing there a millisecond later and are traumatised by it all (as you would be, understandably). The bullet hole remains as testimony to what happened. As it was payday there were lots of people milling around, most ran for cover and made sure that none of the children were nearby.
The gunmen made off with a reasonable amount of cash, but not without a fight. Patches (the wonderdog) was on the case and she went for the legs of one of the attackers, digging her teeth in and generally making a nuisance of herself to protect people. She somehow managed to dodge 2 bullets in the process although most onlookers are amazed that she didn’t get shot. But she’s fast. (She’s sitting on the bed next to me as I write this, approving of everything I write!)
It was an inside job. Someone knows who these people were. They knew too much for it to be a random event. Now that the dust has settled there is widespread relief that no-one got hurt (PRAISE GOD) although some fear that these men may return. Although I imagine that is unlikely. Too many people saw them and their car. Needless to say the way we handle cash here has been rapidly rethought.
By God’s grace, I was not on the property at the time. Just half an hour earlier I had made a snap decision to go shopping and didn’t discover what had happened until the next morning. I didn’t even think much of Patches devouring lots of food in the evening and chewing up a big piece of cardboard. She is, after all, an overgrown puppy and very boisterous. Little did I know then that she is also hero of the hour!
The whole incident brings home how dangerous it can be here though. My house is next door to reception, a bit too close for comfort. And yet although I went through the initial fear of ‘what if’, I am reminded that GOD IS IN COMPLETE CONTROL and all of our days are in His hands. He is my Protector and my Saviour and so I do not need to fear. And I’ve got my cats and Patches in my house as guard creatures. I don’t think people would last long if they came near me when P is around. She’s becoming very protective after her first brush with danger! I’m starting to wonder if she might not be a special angelic dog sent to help out here.
