AN Umgeni Park domestic worker was reeling in shock after she was robbed at knifepoint last week.
Speaking to the Northglen News about her ordeal, Thabile Khumalo* said she was on Peto Road at about 8.45am while walking to work when two men approached her in a silver BMW.
“They drove up and one of the men jumped out of the car and came at me with the knife. He said, ‘give me your bag now.’ I just gave it to him, because I was shocked,” she said.
She believes her compliance might have saved her life.
“My message to other women is that if something like this is happening, they mustn’t fight. You can get money again and buy a new bag, but your life, you cannot get back. He could have stabbed me, I could have died,” she said.
She also cautioned women not to approach vehicles or accept a lift.
“I was lucky, others won’t be so lucky. Some criminals might drag you inside the car and rape you or kill you. I think God looked after me. They didn’t hurt me,” she said.
Also read:Domestic worker robbed at knife-point in Umgeni Park
While the ordeal left her in shock, Khumalo’s savvy forward thinking meant she did not lose much financially.
“I am smart, I don’t carry my bank card or ID with me, I just carry the essentials,” she said.
The suspects were arrested on Kenneth Kaunda Road shortly after the incident said Haden Searles, chairperson of the Durban North/Umhlanga Community Police Forum.
Also read:Armed men rob luxury Gateway watch shop
“It was not the first incident like this, it seems to be a trend lately. It’s safer to use prominent roads and walk in groups. Avoid wearing flashy jewellery and using your phone while walking,” he said.
Khumalo urged employers to give gate remotes to their domestic workers.
“It just takes a few minutes. While you are standing outside the gate you can be robbed,” she said.
* Not her real name.
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