'I will shoot you. It is a job' - a former robber's chilling words of advice

“I will shoot you. It is a job. It is how we eat to get bread on the table.”

Those were the chilling words of a former armed robber who was interviewed on M-Net’s Carte Blanche programme which aired on Sunday.

The man‚ named Tshepo‚ a former housebreaker with 20 years’ experience‚ was being interviewed on the programme which looked at home intruder shootings and the rights of homeowners who use force to fight back.

He has robbed over 1‚000 homes.

Carte Blanche looked at whether “self defence” was a feasible plea in a court of law or whether the homeowner could be charged with murder.

Tshepo said the law governing self defence was “stupid”.

When asked what he would do if a homeowner told him to get out of the house as he had a gun‚ Tshepo said: “I am not going to listen to you because I know I am wrong inside your house. I should not be there.”

“If I see a gun I will run out‚ or if I have mine‚ I will shoot you first. I am not going to hesitate I will shoot you first.”

Tshepo said there were richer pickings in being a housebreaker than in hijacking cars.

“I can get a R30‚000 ring inside a house or I can get a watch worth R50‚000 or R100‚000‚ I go sell it and they give me half price.”

Tshepo advised homeowners who find themselves victims of housebreaking not to fight back.

“They must surrender themselves.”