Hendrik Johannes Christoffel van den Berg

Hendrik "Hennie" Johannes Christoffel van den Berg (1927 - 2006)

Brief overview:

Hennie (79), a former director of the weather bureau died after robbers overpowered him outside his home in Hazelwood, Pretoria, on 10 October 2006

Hennie was a former director of forecasts, He was outside his home smoking a cigarette at 20:00 on Tuesday when he was attacked, and died shortly after of a heart attack

The robbers tied him up and left him outside while they went inside. They used a coat hanger to tie the hands of his wife, Ralie (80), behind her back and threw a blanket over her.

Debbie Radley, a grandchild of the Van den Bergs, said: "The robbers carried everything outside and packed their loot into two cars. "About 30 minutes later they dragged my grandfather inside the house. He begged them to untie him and said he was going to suffer a heart attack."

Ralie managed to free herself and pressed the panic button while the robbers were busy outside.

The alarm went off and one of the robber crashed into a pole in the driveway as they tried to drive away. They left both vehicles and fled empty-handed.

"My grandmother asked ADT to send an ambulance, but it was too late. She's a strong woman. She and my grandfather were together 55 years, but she doesn't know how she will cope without him," Radley said.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Street/Suburb
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • Hennie died hours after another man was shot in his Menlo Park home

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction

Additional Biographical Information:

• Cause of Death: Unnatural Cause 1820/06
• Identity Number: 2702175056083

Links to Media articles:

• http://archive.fo/0Pndd
• https://archive.is/TsijB