An elderly man has died following a burglary at his home in Panorama.
Husain Mukadam, 72, died in the early hours of Tuesday morning in President Brand Street, Panorama, after the skelms gagged him and tied him up.
According to wife Hasiena, who was also tied up but left unharmed, three black men gained entry into the elderly couple’s home around 1am..
His devastated son Mustafa Mukadam says the suspects crossed three other yards to access their backyard and gained entry through an unsecured area.
The grieving son explains that his father was not shot.
Mustafa says: “What happened was that there was a major struggle. My parents live on one side of the house, which is interconnected by a door and me and my family is on the other side.
“They basically tied his arms and his feet with bed sheets, and put something in his mouth. He was quite badly bruised. I think he may have suffocated but there were no gunshots or anything like that.
“When I found him he was lying on his stomach and had his face flat on the floor.”
He believes his parents’ bravery saved his family.
Mustafa explains: “My mom was also tied up with zip ties, she was also on the floor for five hours, waiting for me to come in.
“They didn’t scream for help because they probably didn’t want me to come. I think my dad was a hero who knew I had three small children.
“The struggle happened, his action resulted in his fatality, he actually saved us.
“This happened between 1am and 2am, and I went into their house at 7am because my dad took my children to school every day.
“It was the school run time, my mother heard my wife talking to my daughter and she crawled into the kitchen and untied her feet, and she came and opened the door.”
Mustafa says his dad was a paraplegic, and had two hip replacements.
The suspects stole a TV and TV box but Mustafa says they are still checking to see what else is missing.
He says they moved into the area just over a year ago.
The devastated son notes: “This is not a dangerous area and we have the armed response that patrols and we have the neighbourhood watch, but I can say we have to be realistic, crime is everywhere.
“I don’t believe we were targeted, this was an opportunistic crime. These are skollies, there have been a lot of burglaries in the area.”
Parow Community Police Forum chairman Shakir Smith agrees and adds: “There is not much anyone can do other than protecting themselves at home.”
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said Parow police registered murder and house robbery cases for investigation with no arrests yet.
“A 72-year-old man was declared deceased by medical personnel on the scene. The cause of death forms part of the police investigation. The suspects fled the scene with a television set.”