Who would savagely attack a 72-year-old woman? By the grace of God, coupled with her determination is the reason a woman from Odendaalsrus survived.

On Thursday Morning, around 10:30 Beryl Esterhuizen was attacked at her home. She heard the dogs barking and was in the spare room when a man with a murderous intent overpowered her. The assailant shouted out that he was going to kill her and relentlessly punched and kicked the elderly woman.

Esterhuizen said that the man was big, had a stubbly beard with a mustache, describing it as a circle on his face.

Esternhuizen said “I fought back with every ounce of fight I had in me. I am sure I broke two of his fingers. I was bending them, and I heard something snap. I offered him money if he would let me live.

“I must have said about five times, if you let me go, I will give you money. But he was adamant he wanted me dead.”

Eventually, the attacker had her pinned down on the floor.

“That’s when I grabbed his knackers and squeezed very hard. He put his foot on the side of my face and ground it hard into my flesh. I did not let go, and he backed off. He threw the spare bed on top of me before leaving the room. I just lay there quietly as if I was dead, just in case he came back. The next thing I heard my neighbor, Isabel (Janse van Rensburg). She was standing over me asking me why I was lying under the bed.”

Estehuizen said her neighbour had heard her shouting and assumed that they thought she had fallen, not realizing that I was under attack, fighting for my life.

Fortunately, a neighbor notified some of Esternhuizen’s friends about the ordeal and phoned the police. Friends, Bunny and Brian House, who live about 15 minutes drive away from her, rushed to her defense. Bunny House said they had to threaten the police with Vista to get them to come to the scene and who arrived about one and a half hours later.

After the frightening ordeal, Esterhuizen was admitted to hospital. She was released on the same day. Esterhuizen sustained severe abrasions, concussion, and lacerations.

Welkom Police Captian Stephen Thakeng confirmed the incident and said the police did not take as long to get to the crime scene as alleged by friends. Apparently, the vehicle that attends to complaints was at another scene of culpable homicide, where a pedestrian was hit and died, the Captain explained.

“The station commander, Col. Disebo Cezula, immediately took her private vehicle to the scene.

“So it is very clear that we did not take one and a half hour to attend to the complaint,” says Thakeng.

According to Thakeng, the attacker was wearing a balaclava when he overpowered Esterhuizen in the kitchen.

Esterhuizen is recuperating at home. She is being supported by her grandson Keith Shannon and his wife, Leandri.

“Gran is a fighter. She has always taught us to be strong,” says Keith.

South Africa Today – South Africa News