Cowies Hill man fights off knife-wielding thugs in Pinetown

A BRAVE Cowies Hill man, Thulani Maphumulo said he would rather die than give away the valuable possessions he worked hard for to criminals.

Maphumulo was lucky to escape with a few bruises after knife-wielding men pounced on him recently in the Pinetown CBD.

The 33-year-old told the Highway Mail that he was attacked in broad daylight in Hill Street.

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“I think the muggings in Pinetown have just become a norm and people just stare and don’t assist. It seriously needs to stop,” said Maphumulo.

He said he felt someone grab his neck from behind and then noticed two men in front of him, one holding a knife.

“They tried to grab my phone from me but I did not let it go.

“I just bought this phone. I worked so hard to purchase this phone, why would somebody want to take it away so easily? I fought them off and ended up damaging my phone as it fell onto the road,” he said.

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When the criminals saw that they were being overpowered, Maphumulo said they fled and he was left with a broken phone.

Maphumulo, who is self employed, described Pinetown as ‘hell’.

“There are so many criminals who roam freely and police are doing nothing about it. Pinetown used to be such a beautiful town and it still can be.”

He appealed for police to intervene and to stop the escalating crime rate in Pinetown.

“I believe if police could be visible all the time, crime can be controlled. The hotspot areas are known,” he said.

Maphumulo said he did not bother to open a case as this was not the first he was mugged and stabbed in Pinetown.

“I experienced this two years ago and did not get any assistance from the police officers.”

Pinetown Cluster communications officer, Capt Bongumusa Manqele said police officers are trying their best to bring down the crime rate in the Pinetown CBD.

“We are aware of the robberies that are taking place as well as other criminal activities. We are appealing to the members of the community to report all cases to the police so that they be investigated,” said Manqele.

He urged residents to make use of the emergency number 10111 or Crime Stop 08600 10111.

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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

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