An Asherville man returning home from mosque believes God saved him from ruthless hijackers who shot at him, as the bullet only grazed his back and lodged in his jacket.
The 61-year-old, who declined to be named, was accosted by three armed men on Monday as he entered his driveway after returning home from his morning prayers.
“I had returned home at around 5.25am. I drove into the driveway and closed the gate. The gate was just about to close when I saw three men hold the gate back and rush towards me,” he told POST shortly after the incident.
“The men told me that it was a hijacking and asked me for money. They held me on the ground as they ransacked my pockets for money and took the vehicle keys. They fired a shot at me as they drove off.”
The man, who was driving a Toyota Corolla, said that the bullet had grazed the left side of his back and lodged in his jacket.
“I was grateful to be alive. God saved me.”
He said his wife was inside their home and that he had contacted his daughter, who took him to hospital.
While hijackings across South Africa had risen by 14.9% during 2014/15 compared to 2013/14, in the Sydenham policing precinct, under which Asherville falls, there was a 29% decrease, according to the recently released annual SAPS crime statistics.
The number had decreased from 108 hijackings to to 77.
But Sydenham CPF spokesman Satish Dhupelia believes the number of hijackings has increased in the past year in Asherville, Reservoir Hills and Sydenham.
“This is the second incident in the last month which took place in Asherville in the early hours of the morning,” he said.
“It’s very hard to determine whether these statistics are correct. They are compiled by police themselves and not audited by any civilians. Crime is out of control, on the increase and there needs to be more visible policing.”
Dhupelia urged residents to be alert and careful when entering and exiting their driveways.
Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said the motorist was was shot, “but (the) bullet grazed him”.
No arrests have been made.