Durban - Fearing he would be attacked by a second mob of roadside thieves after his bakkie hit a cement block on a highway, a Lenasia motorist was forced to hide in bush and watch as his vehicle was damaged and ransacked.
Mohammed Aslam Varachia, 44, a garage manager, was travelling with a friend on the N12 from Lenasia to Johannesburg last Sunday night when his bakkie hit the block.
“We were approaching the off-ramp into Eldorado Park when I hit the cement block but continued to drive,” said Varachia.
“The front tyre was, however, damaged and I was forced to stop. I pulled over on the side of the road and heard another bang.
"As I turned, another vehicle hit the block and the driver was held up.”
The father of four said before they could escape, the robbers ran towards them demanding money.
“We gave them what we had and after they left, another mob began running towards us. We were concerned about our safety and ran across the highway and hid in the bushes.
“The mob was ruthless. They smashed the windows and ransacked the vehicle, taking anything of value,” said Varachia.
“I am glad we got out in time because the situation could have gone so many ways.”
He said a friend had recently died in a similar incident.
Varachia said rock throwing and placing blocks on roads to force motorists to stop was a trend among criminals and needed to be dealt with.
“This is not just a robbery but attempted murder and the authorities need to clamp down on these criminals.”
Khalil Mohamed, a member of the N12 Risk Notice Team, advised motorists to drive at a speed that would allow their reaction time to be adequate to safely take action in the event of an obstruction on the highway.
“There are weekly incidents of rock throwing and rock placements on the highway. These are hijacking and robbery techniques employed by criminals and have been a problem for many years,” he said.
“We have engaged with the relevant stakeholders to try to minimise incidents by having law enforcement authorities patrol this dangerous stretch. We have also petitioned for lighting along this particular stretch.”