‘We should kill him’ – truck driver hears how hijackers argue about his fate

Mr Mkhonza said he was driving from Middelburg, where RY Agriculture is based, to Mookgophong on Tuesday.

When he arrived in Groblersdal, he asked traffic officers for directions to Mookgophong. Whilst he was  speaking to the officers, a silver BMW drove past them and hooted at him.

Traffic officers warned him to be careful and leave the area because there are ‘troublemakers’ around. Mr Mkhonza said when he finally arrived in Mookgophong he parked his truck at a truck depot for the night.

On Wednesday morning on his way to a farm where he was supposed to deliver goods, he was stopped by the same silver BMW.  He said the men accused him of stealing jobs from South Africans. Mr Mkhonza is a Ndebele and a South African citizen and said that the men’s accusation did not make sense.

Before he could flee, his attackers sprayed him in the face with an unknown substance which made him feel dizzy. They then tied his arms and legs with wire and covered his face with a cloth. His attackers dropped him off somewhere in the field and fled with his truck.

Mr Mkhonza says that he struggles to recollect what happened after he was sprayed and dumped. He lay in the bushes, helpless, from Wednesday until Thursday evening when his attackers returned.

He could hear them arguing about what to do with him. One man said that they should kill him whilst another asked ‘How can you kill someone the same age as your father?’

The men eventually loaded Mr Mkhonza into their BMW and dropped him next to KFC in Marble Hall. He walked to the police station and contacted his employer, Marissa Roets.

RY Agriculture managed to track down the truck and recovered it in the field next to the N11 between Roedtan and Marble Hall on Wednesday morning. All of Mr Mkhonza’s personal belongings were still in the truck, but he was nowhere to be found. His colleagues and family feared for the worse.

“I want to thank Mrs Roets for all her efforts and my family and colleagues for being supportive to me during this ordeal. I am thankful to the Almighty for protecting my life” he said.

Mr Mkhonza warned other truck drivers using the same route, to be aware of the silver BMW.

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