British model Sarah McDonnell was tied up by a machete-wielding gang during her stay at a luxury villa in Cape Town, South Africa. According to reports, Ms. MacDonnell, along with several others, was robbed of $100,000 worth of items.
“I really felt I wasn’t going to make it… I was thinking if they start using the knives or slash someone’s throat, what could I pick up, what could I do?” she told The Mail on Sunday.
Three men wearing masks stormed into their villas and grabbed Sarah’s boyfriend David from behind before threatening him with machetes and a screwdriver.
One of the intruders then found Sarah in the bathroom and forced a screwdriver to her neck in the terrifying ordeal.
The men tied up the couple and the four women before asking where the valuables were.
“When we five were all tied up, the gang were arguing among themselves about whether they were going to leave,” Sarah recalled.
“That’s when it got really scary because you think you’re going to get murdered, or worse.”
Sarah believes their ability to stay calm in the incident is the reason the group remains alive today.
The ordeal has left the tourists needing counseling while Sarah has praised her boyfriend’s actions in saving the group from what could have been an even worse scenario. “I want to credit David for being a calming influence on everyone – including the robbers – without trying to control the situation. “
