Local girls fight off attackers
Four local women and a friend were attacked in Musgrave recently, in what they said was in full view of a security guard.
WHAT should have been a girls’ night out turned into a horrific ordeal for a group of friends from North Durban and Musgrave. On Thursday, 6 February the five girls, who did not want their names mentioned, were on their way to Musgrave to drop off one of the friends.
The girls were cornered in Norfolk Road when a silver Toyota Avanza pulled up in front of their parked car. They said four men jumped out of the Toyota and demanded their belongings. They believed the men were also attempting to hijack them.
“All of us were kicking the men in the faces and fighting back as much as we could and just kept screaming to attract attention. We kept shouting for a friend to keep pressing on the hooter, while the men grabbed and pulled at us. One of us was pulled out the car and repeatedly kicked in the stomach,” they said.
The women recounted how people from nearby homes and blocks of flats, armed with brooms and shovels, came to their aid seconds after hearing the commotion.
“We all watched as one of the men put his hands down his pants to presumably pull out a weapon. If the neighbours didn’t come when they did, the situation, in our opinion, could’ve escalated,” one of the women said.
What was most dissapointing to the group of friends was that just 10 metres away from the scuffle there was a guarding hut. They thought it was a well-known security company’s guarding hut, but were later informed that this hut was sub-contracted to East Coast Protection Services.
“One of the neighbours was told by one of the guards that he didn’t come because his shoelaces were untied. We were told by a neighbour, who said he was involved in the operations of this security company, that they are not there to protect, just to raise the alarm.
“They didn’t do even that much. Even if that is the case, the mere presence of security men armed with batons would have stopped the incident sooner.
“The whole experience was a rude awakening to the fact that we must never become complacent when it comes to our safety and security and that these types of brutal crimes can happen to anyone and at anytime. Even if we employ private security companies, we all realised that the only people we can truly rely on is ourselves and each other.
“I realised that the real security are the people that live right next door to you. In a day and age where few people even know what their neighbours look like, perhaps we should all make a greater effort to get to know our neighbours since they’re most likely going to be the ones that will save your life at the end of the day and not those who we think we are paying to be there to protect us,” another one of the women said.
Response from guarding company, East Coast Protection Services:
“At approximately 12h20 on the morning of 7 February 2014, I received a telephone call from Rickus Lambrechts in connection with an attempted hijacking in Norfolk Road. I, Stephen James Botes, rushed to the scene to find Chubb armed response and 2 Chubb street patrol security guards standing next to an Opel Corsa vehicle with numerous people screaming and shouting at the Chubb armed response officer as well as the security officers.
“I approached an elderly lady and asked what had happened and she claimed that her daughter had been assaulted by one of the attempted hijackers. During this time I was being shouted at by two young ladies that the security guards had not come to their assistance. I asked if anybody had notified the SAPS and took it upon myself to contact the SAPS and the Durban Metro Police. I then proceeded to question the two street patrol security officers who maintained they had been on a magtouch patrol and were at the top end of Norfolk Road.
“I then phoned Mr Rickus Lambrechts who spoke to the Chubb armed response officer who proceeded to answer all of Mr Lambrechts’s questions. On questioning the street patrol security guards they maintain they heard screaming and started to run towards the vehicle, which was approximately 10 metres away from them. The people concerned left in their vehicle.
“The SAPS and the Metro Police arrived to a barrage of insults and different stories as to exactly what had happened. I would like to state that the street patrol security guards are unarmed and are there to raise the alarm to get further back-up from Chubb’s armed response. I do not understand that if it was an attempted hijacking why the vehicle’s passenger door was the scene of the incident. Further I would like to mention that the site Norfolk Road is only manned with one security officer however, because of incidents that are frequently happening in the Morningside area, we have taken it upon ourselves to place additional security guards on the site.
“Furthermore, the SAPS as well as Metro left the scene at the same time that I left the scene, after I was told by the mother of the alleged victim that we are ‘useless and incompetent’.” – Steve Botes – East Coast Protection Services
As one of the victims It is of grave concern while reading Mr Steve Botes response to the attack and the attempted high jacking that occurred early hours of Friday morning at approximately 12.03 when we stopped to drop off a friend at her home in Norfolk road it was as this friend was getting out of the vehicle that the silver Toyota avanza came speeding down from the top of Norfolk were as stated by Mr Botes that is where his security guards were patrolling at that point and time and my friend was then brutally attacked as were we! It is incorrect and a feeble attempt at stating the actual facts as we were all victims of this crime!!! His response is one of total contempt. This was his same attitude and reaction at the scene. He does not seem to view this as a crime committed. Mr Botes and the SAPS’s response to us that night was well done ladies you “prevented a greater crime from occurring” is it not the duty of the SAPS and private security companies to be preventing these criminal activities!!! In regard to mr Botes deliberate misconception of the facts of the event at hand both sides of the vehicle were approached as I as the driver had one of the 4 suspects pull my window down and attempting to pull the lock up on my door to gain access into the vehicle. We had another suspect enter from the passenger door to violate the passengers in the back seat… This was a horrific and traumatic experience for all of us victims least of all to say the manner in which it was dealt with by Mr Botes and his team and the SAPS does pose the question who is protecting us?
Is Mr. Botes employed by Chubb or is he the sub-contractor? If the latter, one can understand his response. To say that he could not understand why “the passenger door was the scene of the attack” is quite simple to explain. It is a 2 door car. The drivers door was locked. A passenger was getting out of the only door open when these thugs attacked. Maybe the attackers did not want the car at all. Robbery could have been their aim. I agree with anonymous. Methinks Mr. Botes protests too much. Why not get an official reply from Chubb Head Office in writing?
Sorry that this had happened. But please could the spelling be corrected in the heading of this article.
I think that response is absolutely shocking! SAPS and security companies are around to protect us! Especially us girls who on many occasions are forced to do thinks on our own. I have had a similar incident however I was fortunate enough to have my boyfriend on the passenger side holding the criminals arm in the door while he tried to stab him with a knife and I was able to make an escape but the thing is it was the cars that saw the incident happening, pulled over and raced to our aid that amazed me. It looks like we all have to look after each other now and rely on police and security companies unfortunately.