Four armed robbers that impersonated police officers on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, stormed the residence of a 29-year-old Malawian national, who is an operator of a tuck shop adjacent to her home.
During the robbery incident, the deadly robbers allegedly forced a four-year-old girl into a washing machine during the shocking and terrifying home invasion in Hazelmere, KwaZulu-Natal.
The child, along with her siblings aged nine and three, were not physically injured.
It was gathered that one of the armed robbery suspects allegedly forced the four-year-old girl into a washing machine and attempted to switch it on during the robbery incident, but was unsuccessful.
It further gathered that during the ordeal, one of the suspects allegedly placed the four-year-old child inside a washing machine and attempted to switch it on, but was unsuccessful.
While narrating the sad incident, victim said that the suspects gained access to the premises by impersonating police officers.
It was gathered that even though dressed in civilian clothing, the robbers allegedly displayed South African Police Service (SAPS) name tags and badges and accused the woman of drug dealing.
“One of the suspects was armed with a firearm, while another carried a knife. The remaining suspects proceeded to ransack both the house and the tuck shop,” a source familiar with the incident said.
Items reportedly stolen during the robbery included approximately R200 in cash, an undisclosed amount of coins, a flashlight, a sack of cabbage, packs of Russian sausages, several cartons of cigarettes, and the victim’s cell phone.
The victim was unable to immediately alert authorities as her cell phone had been taken during the robbery, but community members later came to her assistance, after which Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) was contacted later on Wednesday.
The victim further disclosed to reaction officers that she had been robbed previously at the same premises on December 26, 2025.
