Durban: Two families have cautioned motorists to be wary of travelling along the N3 near Heidelberg after they were robbed at gunpoint.
Last Wednesday evening, Nadia Omar, her husband Trevor Nair and their three children were returning home to Randburg in Johannesburg after spending the school holidays at a resort in the Drakensberg.
While en route, Omar said they heard a sound.
“My son Ahran, who is 5, was sitting in the passenger seat, while I was in the back with my daughters Anyah, 9, and Aivah, 1.
“It was just before midnight and we were near Heidelberg when we heard this loud bang and the vehicle swayed. My husband, Trevor, managed to keep the vehicle steady,” said Omar.
“I thought we had been hit by a truck but Trevor instinctively knew we were being sabotaged, that someone had placed something on the road to puncture the tyres,” said the 37-year-old doctor.
They drove on for a few kilometres before stopping in the emergency lane.
Upon inspection, they found two tyres were deflated.
“Trevor managed to drive about another kilometre before he called roadside assistance. While waiting for them, we sat in the dark in the car, while our daughters were asleep. We prayed for our protection and safety.”
She said three men approached on foot and pointed guns at the front and back windows of their Mazda CX 5. One of them then attempted to smash the driver’s window with the gun.
“The glass only shattered. He indicated that he would pull the trigger if Trevor did not open the door. My husband did as he was told. The man pushed the gun against Trevor’s chest and demanded our personal belongings. He then placed the gun on my husband’s head. Trevor was taken to the back of the vehicle and he was instructed to open the boot.”
Omar said her daughters got up and began to scream. One of the accomplices then demanded she gave him their valuables.
"My husband and I remained calm throughout. We told them to take what they wanted and not to hurt us. They demanded cash, but we did not have any. They instead took handbags, wallets, cellphones and jewellery.“
She said the third gunman searched for money near her son.
“Ahran was crying and screaming. He turned back to look at me and all I could do was hold onto his collar.”
Omar said the men fled and roadside assistance soon arrived along with a courtesy car and a driver.
“The ordeal lasted about three minutes but it left us traumatised. Anyah asked me what would they have done if Trevor and I had been shot. I’m now taking my two older children for counselling.”
Omar, formerly of Chatsworth in Durban, said they had heard of other families being attacked in the area.
“I don’t want another family to go through what we have gone through, so please be careful when using the route.”
In a separate incident a week earlier, a family was robbed by men in police uniforms. The victim, who declined to be named, said she, her husband and their two teenage children had attended a wedding in Durban.
“We were returning to Johannesburg. My daughter was in the passenger seat, while I was in the back with my son. At around 6.30pm a group of men in police uniforms and a police-marked car flagged us down.
“My husband stopped. One of them said they were searching for alcohol and drugs. When we opened the car doors, four of them got into the car with us. They were armed. Two got into the back with my son and me, the third sat on the same seat as my husband, and the fourth person sat on top of my daughter."
The woman said their hands were tied.
“They wanted jewellery, cash and other valuables.”
She said the suspect who sat alongside her husband then drove off.
"They drove around for a few hours before they dumped us in Heidelberg and fled in our car. We walked around the area and eventually a family helped us. We then called friends for help. After our incident, I heard about others. The police minister must account for these incidents."
Both families reported the incidents to the police.
Colonel Dimakatso Sello, a police spokesperson in Gauteng, said patrols had been increased to maximise visibility.
She said motorists should refrain from giving lifts to hitch-hikers and stopping in secluded areas, and should avoid driving at night if possible.
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