Westville woman fights off armed hijackers in Pinetown

WESTVILLE resident Karen Stafford-Mayer was lucky to escape unharmed after she refused to be an easy target for thieves roaming around the notorious Pinetown CBD.

Stafford-Mayer said she stopped at one of the intersections in Josiah Gumede (Old Main) Road, with her Ford bakkie, when two men came up to her and demanded her car.

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“I refused; I am also struggling; I am unemployed; I hardly make ends meet, and the worst part, my car does not have insurance,” she said.

The 58-year-old said her window was half open, and one of the men dived through, going for her car key.

“The next thing I heard was a loud bang; I thought they had shot me. The other one hit my windscreen with the gun, and there was glass shattered all over,” recalled the victim.

After all the scuffle, Stafford-Mayer told the Highway Mail that she still refused to let go.

“The one that dived in was now going for my bag on the passenger-seat floor. I hung onto it as my whole life was in there. Unfortunately, it tore, and I was only left with the belt, and they fled with my bag.”

After going through that, the feisty Stafford-Mayer still had some fight in her, as she said she ran after them, but unfortunately, the thieves managed to disappear with her bag and belongings.

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“Not even a single soul came to my rescue. I was running after them and screaming. I guess people are scared of these thugs,” said with a sigh.

By sharing her story, Stafford-Mayer said she just wanted people to be wary of Pinetown. “I have heard of so many incidents there, and the criminals are just taking control.”

But most importantly, she pleaded with officials to take action. “Pinetown, which has become known as ‘Crimetown’, is known for its crime which has spiraled out of control, and no one is doing anything about it,” she said.

Another victim, Andy Strydom, an uMhlanga resident, said he was thankful that nothing far more horrendous happened to him after he was mugged of his cellphone.

“I am just thankful to be alive. I have been a victim of crime a couple of times, and I have just given up and accepted that it is what it is. I dust myself off and continue with life,” he said.

Strydom said these words as he believes the justice system is failing the victims: “I did not even bother to open a case with the police. I come to Pinetown even though it has a notorious reputation, as I sometimes have work commitments here.”

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Pinetown Cluster communications officer, Capt Bongumusa Manqele said that to try and fight crime in the area, they have members on motorbikes as well as crime-prevention members who are patrolling the area on a daily basis and showing visibility.

“Once again, we are appealing to the motorists to close their windows when approaching intersections. We also believe that these criminals who are committing these crimes are known by the community, and we are appealing to the community to contact our Crime Stop number 08600 10111 when they witness a crime taking place,” said Manqele.