A BRITISH couple on holiday in Durban were robbed by three armed men on the N2 just after the KwaMashu on-ramp on Friday afternoon at about 1.30pm. The couple were travelling towards uMhlanga when they hit a metal pole, allegedly placed in the fast lane by the suspects, to either cause a puncture or damage the vehicle, forcing a driver to stop.
The couple, from London, were recently engaged and had travelled to Durban to visit a friend for his daughter’s christening.
The couple who did not want to be named, spoke to Northglen News about their terrifying ordeal.
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“I never saw the pipe until it was too late, as I went over it I knew the left rear tyre had been punctured because of the distinctive sound. I decided to pull over to the emergency lane to change the tyre of the hired car. In hindsight now, I shouldn’t stop. As I was changing the tyre, I noticed a guy coming up behind me, walking fairly quickly. My gut told me something was wrong, I immediately shut my girlfriend in the car and told her not to open the door; as the man got to me I noticed two other guys running across the freeway. One of them said they were there to help but I looked at his accomplice and I saw this large rusted bush knife, that’s when I knew we were in trouble. I tried to rush to the car to protect my girlfriend and one of them pulled me down to the ground and told me to sit down and shut up.
In the soundclip below, one of the victims advises tourists and fellow motorists what to do in a situation like this.
“I kept wanting to tell her not to fight and let them take whatever but they wouldn’t allow me to say antying. They managed to steal our Sat Vav, cash, our cell phones and my fiance’s necklace. They also took the keys to the hired car. We are so grateful to a gentleman by the name of Julian, who was a Godsend. He saw what was happening in the fast lane and pulled all the way over to the emergency lane and began reversing towards us, that’s when the panicked. Two of them jumped into the bush and the suspect watching over me, before fleeing still had time to pull my watch off my hand. He took my shoes and cap before jumping into the bushes along the N2 with his accomplices and fled. If the man didn’t stop I fear they would have taken everything from the car including our luggage,” he said.
In all, around R60 000 worth of items were stolen from the couple who return to the UK next week.
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A case of aggravated robbery has been opened at the Durban North SAPS.
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