South Africa: Black Breaks Into Home, Attacks White Family with Axe

Rita Westpfaha

He wanted to steal their house.

And to a black, this is probably a perfectly logical way of going about it.

News24:

A family of three were viciously attacked by an axe-wielding intruder in their Oribi home on Tuesday night in an attack many believe could have been an attempt to steal their house.

Abie-Walter Smith (85), his partner Rita Westpfaha (75) and her special-needs daughter Carol Westpfaha (56) were each hit on the head by an axe when the intruder entered their home at about 7.30 pm.

Smith is in the intensive care unit at a local hospital while the mother and daughter were discharged early yesterday morning.

Smith and Rita were both struck once on the head, while Carol was hit twice on the back of her head.

The three have been staying at the house, which is owned by Rita, for over 20 years. They were rescued from the attack after Rita managed to run outside and scream for help and the neighbours ran to their aid.

The axeman fled on foot and disappeared into the nearby shrubbery. No arrests have been made.

Odette Krauser, a relative, said they suspect that the break-in was intended to scare the family to move out of their house so the attacker could move in.

Krauser said the unknown man entered the house apparently through an open back door.

“The man startled my aunt Rita, who was in the kitchen, by apparently tackling her. She fell on the floor and asked him what he wanted, he told her to keep quiet and hit her on the head with the axe,” she said.

Smith, who had been relaxing in the lounge, was also struck with the axe on his head after trying to defend Rita.

“He started hitting my uncle and when Carol, who was sleeping in her room, heard the commotion and went to check what was happening, he hit her twice.”

Krauser said the family suspected that the burglary was a “scare tactic” to hijack their home.