WATCH | Woman shot twice in the face during armed robbery in Joburg

A woman who was shot twice in the head during an armed robbery on Monday in Johannesburg is in a semi-coma in hospital.

Susan Button said her sister‚ Riëtte van der Merwe‚ 37‚ was recovering in the Milpark Hospital after she was shot twice in the face. One bullet remains lodged in the back of her neck.

Eight suspects armed with 9mm pistols stormed into Manny’s Meat Market on Main Road in Newlands on Monday afternoon. Owner Manny Texeira said the armed robbers came into the shop about 5:15pm and demanded cash.

They got distracted when Van Der Merwe fought back‚ but the suspects fired four shots before they fled. Two shots hit Van Der Merwe and the two hit the fridge.

In CCTV footage published by the Roodepoort Record there is pandemonium in the shop.

Two armed robbers emerge from the back of the shop‚ before one turns around and cocks his pistol before confronting Van Der Merwe. The second robber turns around‚ moves in and opens fire.

Arrive Alive said in a statement that they resuscitated Van Der Merwe on the scene before rushing her to hospital.

Button said Van Der Merwe cannot speak‚ but responds when they speak to her.

“There is reaction such as a tear that drops or her heartbeat increases and you even see it in her blood pressure. When you make a joke‚ it goes up‚” Button said.

“I know she does not like to be kissed or hugged. She reacts to that as well. Then we make a joke with her and say‚ ‘Suck it up‚ Buttercup. This is the only time we can kiss you’.”

Van Der Merwe needs to undergo further scans for doctors to check the swelling on her brain.

Texeira said one cashier has a black eye after he was struck with the butt of a pistol. The store manager was hit on the back of the neck.

“They should have just taken the money‚ because the money was in the safe and in the tills‚” he said.

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