Mthetho Ndoni

Mthetho Ndoni

An elderly woman was severely assaulted in Eastern Cape by robbers who fled with her belongings, including a car.

Joan Schonken, 72, was alone at her Kirkwood farmhouse near Port Elizabeth when two thugs burst in on Sunday night.

Police said yesterday the elderly woman was watching television when the intruders began beating her with a sjambok, demanding money and firearms.

Police spokesman Inspector Marianette Olivier said Schonken was punched and kicked until she lost consciousness.

Olivier said Schonken could not summon help immediately because her hands had been tied.

Suspecting something was wrong, her son, living in Gauteng, called a security company, which then alerted the police.

Olivier said Schonken was taken to River Valley Hospital, where she was treated "after losing lots of blood".

"Her eyes were swollen with a long cut on her forehead."

The vehicle was later found abandoned near Uitenhage.