Intruder picks wrong 'partner' to tango with

A Durban dance instructor who went toe-to-toe with a knife-wielding home invader said his attacker chose "the wrong partner to tango with".

Speaking to The Times, Kloof resident Alain Rijnvis said he acted on instinct when he armed himself with a chair and took on the man in the early hours of Tuesday.

The 44-year-old, who was stabbed in the head and arm in the fracas, recounted how he fought for his family.

"I don't sleep at night so I sit at my computer and play games. I have three daughters. One is an infant and sometimes they get restless. I heard a noise so I got up to check on them," Rijnvis said from his hospital bed.

"In the kitchen I saw a guy trying to hide below the counters. I let out a roar to alert my wife," he said.

The man lunged at him , stabbing him in the forehead.

"In the fray he dropped the knife. I picked up a chair. He somehow managed to get his hands on another knife and I could feel him stabbing me.

"I heard a bash and there was another guy outside trying to break in.

"I managed to push him through the hole his friend was making [in the glass door]. I was ready to take them on again if they came back.

"I am happy it turned out the way it did. My wife and girls are safe. He picked the wrong dance partner to tango with."