'Security was lax at Pinnacle Point'

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MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Security at Pinnacle Point Estate has been lax for years and only now, after a murder there, is it being sharpened up.

This is according to Mia Heuer, daughter of Marietha Willemse (78), who was found murdered on the morning of 4 June at the estate. Her husband, Johannes (85), was stabbed multiple times and survived the attack.

PHOTO GALLERY: Remembering Marietha Willemse

Mia told the Mossel Bay Advertiser this week that nothing was taken from the Willemse home. She believes the intent was only to kill her parents, not take items. Two other burglaries in homes nearby were reported on Monday, 6 June, according to the estate.

Packing up

Mia, who lived next door to her mother and father, is packing up to leave Pinnacle Point. She owns both her and her parents' home there.

She said: "My mother paid the price for bad security. Part of the problem is the St Blaize trail. It is a concern. That is where the breach in security is.

"This is the first time there has been a murder; before there was breaking and entering. If they had sorted it out then, this would not have happened."

Once, while Marietha was washing her car, she turned around and there was a stranger behind her. Mia said: "Someone had slipped past the security guard."

Regarding management of Pinnacle Point, Mia says: "They say there will be upgrades to security, but we never get feedback. I have lost all my trust in the estate. There were enough incidents for them to have woken up months ago, years ago."

Mia said she and her husband, both golfers, are moving to Fancourt Golf Estate in George.

Boom gates

"Pinnacle Point focuses on putting boom gates up. The booms are closed at night but during the day, open. Many residents are putting up alarm systems and beams.

"Why am I paying a premium price for staying in a security estate?"

Greg and Mia Heuer before they left on their honeymoon. They were on honeymoon when Mia's parents were attacked.

Another resident said: "Management is weak. They listen but do not hear. They don't do enough." She asked to remain anonymous.

A third woman, also requesting anonymity, said: "I moved from the estate for a number of reasons, among them poor security."

Clubhouse

She was concerned that anyone could enter the estate and ask to go to the clubhouse. It was possible for criminals to scout out the estate during the day and commit crime.

The boom gates were ineffective, she said. Anyone could work for building contractors at the estate. The contractors did not vet their staff.

She complained that patrolling in the estate was extremely limited. If there was a crisis, one had to call security, which sometimes took "forever" to answer.

Mia's parents were about to move to Monte Christo gated estate outside Mossel Bay before they were attacked. "The moving date was about 26 July," Mia said. "I bought a stand and built a house there. They were so excited to move."

She noted that Pinnacle Point has many holiday homes, vacant much of the year. "There are more permanent residents in Monte Christo." Her parents had been looking forward to having more people around them. On 10 July Marietha Willemse would have turned 79 years old, Mia said.

'Very afraid'

Since the attack, her father's Alzheimer's disease had worsened. "He has nightmares and is very afraid."

Johannes is now a resident at an Alzheimer's patient facility in George. By today, Friday 1 July, he has been there about 10 days. Marietha used to look after him at home.

Mia said that at first her father had been upset and did not know where he was, but he had started socialising with the other residents.

"It's a beautiful, restful place." Mia said her father was a boer seuntjie at heart so the country setting suited him.

Mia (left) and Greg Heuer (right) with Johannes and Marietha Willemse.

The staff were friendly and the owners of the facility took an active interest in the residents.

Mia said that, living next door to her parents, she and her husband were there for them for the last two years when they needed help with their cellphones, TV or anything which was not working.

"I want my dad to settle and have peace. He misses my mom very much; she did all the thinking and doing for him. It's very upsetting for him.

"But we have found a home for him; not just a facility. We have peace of mind."

Pinnacle Point responds

In a response to Mia's complaints, the Pinnacle Point Board and security sub-committee as well as management noted they "must respectfully disagree with the allegations about the state of the estate's security systems and procedures at the time of the tragic incident".

The statement read: "We cannot say more at this stage as the matter remains the subject of a sensitive investigation" by the police. "We have been advised the police are still awaiting the outcome of forensic tests."

Pinnacle Point noted: "It is an imperative strategy of the board and security sub-committee as well as management to continually review and update the security systems and protocols, as this is an ever-changing risk.

"Additional and enhanced security measures have recently been introduced and are planned.

"Areas that have recently been identified as critical areas, such as the St Blaize trail (which is subject to relatively free legal access and rights), are receiving further attention. This includes ongoing and enhanced consultation with the local municipality.

"The board will keep Pinnacle Point homeowners and stakeholders abreast of all developments and will shortly issue more estate security-specific notices."

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