JO’BURG CRIME

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22571, 26 February 1948, Page 4

JO’BURG CRIME

BURGLARS ROUTED MAN’S NARROW ESCAPE NATIVE GANGS’ ACTIVITY A month or two ago Mr. D. B. Tennent, Gisborne read with some interest reports of the crime situation in fohannesburg, quoted in one case from a letter from a former Gisborne businessman now in Johannesburg, and in another from the Rand Daily Mail, indicating that few days pass there without the commission of several crimes, any of which would cause a sensation in New Zealand. He was more interested than many other readers for the reason ''-at he hailed from South Africa and had relatives living in Johannesburg. He took occasion in letters to th,m to offer humorous comment on the high crime rate there as compared with New Zealand, and also a warning to relatives to keen out of the newspapers It was with something of a shock, therefore, when he received in the I'M mail from South Africa a clipoing from the Rand Daily Mail detailing his brother’s narrow osaane from death bv gunshot wound, following an attempt by native burglars to enter his house. The clipoing states:— “Mr. R. Tennent, Rustenburg road, had a narrow escape from death on Monday night when one of two natives whom he found tampering with his burglar-proof screens fired two shots at him, one of which massed close to his head. The other went through his jacket. Nurse-Girl Reports Prowlers

“Mr. Tennent told the Rand Daily Mail yesterday that on Monday night he visited neighbours. Shortly after 9 p.m. his native nurse-girl telephoned that someone was prowling round the house.

“He left his friend’s house with Mr. A. Collins, who had a shot-gun. They crept through 'he grounds of Mr. Tennent’s house and encountered two natives who were trying to force a burglar-proof screen with a jemmy. On being challenged one of the natives drew a revolver nnd fired a shot, which narrowlv missed Mr. Tenuent’s head. "Mr. Tennent struck the native with his fist and as the native reeled he fired another shot. which nassed through Mr. Terment’s coat. Mr. Collins then fired at the two natives, who ran away.

“Mr. Tennent’s two children were in the house with the nurse-girl, who ha I switched on the lights in all the rooms. Six months ago the house was burgled and about £240 worth of property was stolen.”

The clipping which conveyed the above information also listed two handbag snatchiqgs, three assaults with robbery in two of the three cases, and a burglary on the previous day. In one instance two natives attacked an elderly man, threw him to the ground and robbed him within 50yds of where some people wore playing tennis; while in another case five natives bloc’-md th n road in front of a cyclist and forced him at gun-point to hand over . his valuables and his machine.