WHILE waiting outside his employer’s home in Howick Drive in Waterfall, Ray De Beer was hijacked by three men.
“I am currently unemployed and I received a phone call at 7.15am on Friday 18 October to let me know that there was work to be had. I was asked to be at my employer’s home at 8am,” said De Beer.
He arrived at the home in Howick Drive ten minutes early and parked his black Mitsubishi Colt 2008 model on the verge.
He said he switched the engine off and waited for the homeowner to arrive.
“While I was waiting a Polo, rusty in colour, pulled up next to me on the road. I couldn’t see through the windows as they were completely misted up. I initially thought they were labourers getting dropped off at work and turned my head away. The two passenger doors on the left hand side of the vehicle opened up, as I looked back in the car’s direction I heard the two 9mm pistols being cocked,” said De Beer.
Two armed men ran towards De Beer’s open window and placed a gun to his temple and another to his cheek. According to De Beer, the man who climbed out of the driver’s passenger seat, with his gun against De Beer’s temple, was the most aggressive and was the first one to speak.
“He shouted at me that he wanted the car and that I must put my head down. At this point a third hijacker had joined the other two and was pulling and pushing me to unlock the door. I moved my hand down to release the central locking and when they saw me do that they went ballistic. They pulled the door open, pulled me out and pulled up my shirt to see if I was armed,” said De Beer.
One of the men grabbed his hand and demanded his wedding ring. They also demanded his wallet – which contained his ID, driver’s licence, abseiling licence and bank cards. The also stole his cellphone, which was inside the car.
The two men kept their guns trained on De beer while the unarmed hijacker grabbed him by the ankles and tried to throw him into the car. The men attempted this twice.
“I just remember that I didn’t want to get back in the car. I don’t know why they didn’t shoot me or why I didn’t get hurt. During their attempts to get me into the car they were also trying to take my watch and eventually they started shouting at each other that it was taking too long,” said De Beer.
By the end of the scuffle, they had pushed De Beer against a wall and told him not to look at their faces and face the gate of the home. The unarmed hijacker made for the Polo while the two armed men drove off in De Beer’s bakkie.
“I was just waiting for bullets to hit me. They took my car which was my saving grace and this hijacking has left my family and I destitute,” said De Beer.
According to Steven King, co-founder of Waterfall Crime Watch and a customer liaison officer for Secure Link, this was the second hijacking to take place within 24 hours in Waterfall. “The same men stole a woman’s BMW the previous morning. She had climbed out of her car as her gate wasn’t working when two men approached her, one armed with a gun and the other with a knife. People are most vulnerable in their driveways and we, Highway residents, need to be more aware of our surroundings,” said King.
De Beer thanked the Waterfall 3 Neighbourhood Watch for all their help since the incident.
If you would like to help the family, contact Steven King on 082 920 5799.
