A Moore, Kenilworth
On Wednesday March 13, my daughter and I were victims of an attempted armed hijacking in Nyanga.
We were returning home from Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court towards Kenilworth, and our GPS led us through a squatter camp.
Suddenly the road was blocked by another car and the next thing, my daughter had a gun pressed to her head and two men on the passenger side tried to wrestle my handbag off me and pull me out, but I was wearing my bag across my body and had my seatbelt on.
My daughter was beaten in the face with the gun. The key was torn out of the ignition, but it broke off inside, and the hijackers ran.
Within two minutes, we found ourselves surrounded by numerous police cars and a lot of very kind, compassionate policemen. They asked us if we had a spare key, and we said we'd never received one when we bought the car second hand.
One policeman rummaged around in the dashboard and miraculously pulled out the spare key we never knew we had.
They got the broken-off key out of the ignition. Meanwhile, the police caught one of the three hijackers and got his gun. They said it was a real gun and not a toy as is often used and it had real bullets in.
We thank God for his divine protection, for the miraculous appearance of the spare key, and we thank the absolutely amazing police, who, after taking us to Nyanga police station and calling an ambulance for my daughter's injuries, brought us under police escort safely back to the freeway.
Captain FC van Wyk, provincial police spokesperson responds:
Members attached to specialised units such as the Provincial Flying Squad and counterparts such as Metro Police, Law Enforcement officers and others are performing high density patrols in the affected areas and are strategically and statically deployed at hotspot areas.
We advise that motorist also remain vigilant and report instances of hijacking to the nearest police station.
• Be aware of your surroundings and approach intersections slowly.
• Ensure that you inform someone of your route and estimated time of departure and arrival. You can use the life location option on your smart phone as a monitoring tool.
• If you suspect that you are being followed, adjust your route and start making your way to the nearest police station. It is always best to practise safety first. If possible, try to alert other motorists by flickering your head lights and pressing your hooter to get their attention.
While motorists are encouraged to respect the rule of law, they are urged to exercise caution and to put on their hazard lights when stopped.
In case of a hijacking in progress and you are confronted directly by the suspects, remain calm, do not resist and do as you are told. Do not make eye contact, leave the engine running and exit the vehicle. Try to create as much space between yourself and the hijacker/s. Show them you are not a threat by holding up your hands.
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