Six months ago an Asherville man was hijacked in his driveway on returning from Mosque and last Tuesday, his wife was held up by two armed men and shot in the shoulder.
Still traumatised by the incident, the woman is undergoing physiotherapy at a Durban hospital and declined to comment on the incident.
Blue Security operations manager Brian Jackson said armed hijackers entered her Tarndale Avenue property at around 5pm and held up the resident: “The hijackers derailed the driveway gate and fired a shot, wounding her, before fleeing in her vehicle (a Toyota Corolla).”
When POST visited the area on Monday, a neighbour who witnessed the incident said she had contacted the police and community policing forum (CPF) for help. “Standing at my lounge window I saw men at the entrance… the gate was already open. I was very scared they might see me and shoot so I walked away.” She then heard a gunshot, and a scream and the men sped off.
Satish Dhupelia of the Sydenham CPF said: “Residents need to be more careful and always vigilant. Check and double check your surroundings before leaving home.”
Jackson advised residents to fit anti-gatecrashing kits for an early warning system if anyone tampered with the gates. “The best defence is an early warning system that will enable you to run and hide in a safe room in the house that has been equipped with a spare panic remote and a cellphone so you can call for help in an emergency,” he said.
Police spokesperson Major Thulani Zwane said a case of hijacking had been opened at Sydenham police station and no arrests had been made.
A crime awareness meeting will be held at the Reservoir Hills Mall from 9am to 3pm on Saturday.