A man recently recounted his experience of being shot at at least eight times by suspects in a vehicle with blue lights as he was driving near Matsulu just over two months ago.
The victim, who spoke to Lowvelder on condition of anonymity and who lives in the city but works in Mozambique, described how he had managed to escape with his life after he had found himself under a hail of bullets on December 8.
The man had just entered the Crocodile Gorge and was nearing Matsulu when the incident occurred.
“I was on my way home from Mozambique when I saw an unmarked silver Polo with a flashing blue light on its dashboard speeding up from behind,” he said.
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“They drove right next to me and indicated that I should pull over. When I refused, one took the blue light from the dashboard and held it out the window. The next moment the person in the back seat, wearing white gloves, started firing at my front wheel.”
He said the bullets luckily did not penetrate the tyre, because only a week earlier, he had three-ply tyres fitted. It was then that the passenger in the front seat also started shooting at him.
He said he slammed his brakes, made a U-turn and drove in the direction of Matsulu.
“I saw in the rear-view mirror that the robbers had also turned around to follow me. At the Matsulu turn-off, I made yet another U-turn and rushed towards the city. I saw the robbers’ brake lights going on, but they then drove off,” he said.
The man said he drove directly to the police and reported the matter. It was then that he discovered that eight bullets had hit his wheels. The only damage caused during the attack were two slow punctures caused by the impact. Since reporting the matter, he said he has not heard from the police.
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The man said that when he reviewed the dashcam footage from his vehicle, he discovered the robbers had driven past him about 10 minutes before the attack.
“I could even see the number plate with a Durban registration.”
He called a friend in the security industry and they tracked down an address in Durban. Despite all this information he handed to the police, he said nothing has happened with the investigation. The video from his dashcam also went viral on social media.
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Only after Lowvelder approached the police for comment did an officer call the man and requested his help in putting together an identikit.
A provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said the case was receiving attention.
“I can confirm that the investigating officer [IO] had approached the victim to assist with the identikit, as the complainant said he saw one of the suspects had a gold tooth,” said Mdhluli.
He added that the IO could not find the address in Durban provided.
“The investigation is ongoing,” he said.
