So the story goes:
I would like to tell you about what happened to us on 26 March 2010.
We went to a game lodge in Hekpoort (called Plumari / Askari) for our wedding anniversary we only went for Friday 26 March). We were in a chalet quite a way away from the main lodge. At about 01:30 in the morning I heard rattling at the door and because we were in a game lodge, thought that there were monkeys at the door so I turned on the outdoor light and opened the curtain. At the door was a south african indiginous citizen with a gun who demaned that I open the door. I had to open the door because it was a glass door and could have been smashed anyway and then the guys would have probably been even more angry and agressive.
I told my spouse it was an armed robbery and to get out of bed. There were two guys, one with a gun and the other with a knife. They ransacked our room and asked for cellphones and wallets. I told them that everything we had was in our overnight bag (in that bag was clothing and my spouses hand bag). Fortunately our cellphones and wallets were in the safe in the room, which they did not know about. They took the overnight bag, the handbag, our camera (and while we were walking to the car ripped a gold chain from my neck - My spouse bought this 9 carat gold chain for my birthday over ten years ago).
They got quite angry because they could not find cellphones and wallets and I (quick thinking) told them that everything was in the car. I was hoping to get them out of the room and into the open so that perhaps (AND THIS WAS A BIG PERHAPS WHICH WE FOUND OUT LATER) someone would hear the commotion and help us.
They forced us out of the room and to our car (which is about 200 to 300 metres from where the chalet is and directly past the main lodge). They told us to open the car (the key was in the safe) and I told them the keys, wallets, cells etc are in the main lodge safe (saying it is the lodge's rules that when we check in we leave the stuff there). They then said they would break the car window (we both said go ahead because then the car alarm would go off an surely someone would come to our aid??).
They tried to break the front passanger window and didn't have success so they moved to the back passenger window and used rocks to break the glass (it took a while because of the anti smash and grab). They then threw me into the car and told him to find our valuables (at this stage we were both extremely stressed because we actually had nothing in the car). I then remembered that we had an envelope filled with antique SA money that we forgot about in the glove compartment (My step father passed away earlier in the year and we went to Poffader for the funeral and collected some small memorabilia - this envelope being one). I give them the envelope and I told the guy with the gun that it was all our stuff. While this was happening the guy with the knife had gone to the fence to cut a way out.
While I was in the car, my spouse had hands clasped at the chest (out of absolute fear). The guy with the knife came up to and pulled at the left hand and asked what we were hiding (he had a wire cutter so I though he was going to cut my spouses fingers for rings etc). He also patted her down to make sure.
The guy with the gun was walking away with the envelope and then turned around and shot at us (I was sitting in the car right at the door he shot into and my spouse was right next to the back wheel). The bullet hit the back passenger door (the bullet got lodged in the door hitting brackets - I tell you God was watching because if the bullet had gone through the door it would have hit me in the chest). We don't know who he was firing at because 30 centimetres either way it could have hit either of us.
The guys then both ran to the fence and I shouted at my spouse to hide behind the car. The guys then turned around and asked I what we were hiding. My SPouse stood up, showed hands and said nothing. They then ran away.
We ran to the main lodge knocking on windows, screaming for help and no-one came. I then remembered that we saw two other guests at dinner (two young girls). We ran to their room and they let us in and we used their cellphones to call the police and emergency contacts for the lodge (BTW two emergency contacts were on a fishing trip!!).
We later found out that the only security at the lodge is a young guy who opens and closes the gate (he is not armed nor does he have any training).
The police came very quickly and the photographer and finger printing guys also came qucikly. The police suspect an inside job (so do we). The police also suspect that we were targets because we speak english and probably sounded like tourists.
We were both calm and I think that it helped the outcome. We were both bare foot and had cuts (me on my feet and on side from been thrown into the car). The guy pulled out the window and we don't know if he got cut or not but given the way the glass shatters, it is almost impossible not to have been cut. We went to the emergency clinic on Saturday and we have been put on a 28 day course of Anti Retro Virals (possibly the worst medication I have ever had to take - the symptoms are nausea, extreme headaches, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, dihorea etc).
I am telling our story because it is theraputic and also in the hope that if you every find yourself in the same situation (I pray to God it never happens) that you can take something from our ordeal to help you.
A TRUELY PROUDLY SOUTHA AFRICAN STORY!!!