Locals report incidents of tyre spiking on N1

Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo says preliminary reports indicate that the complainant alleged that on Wednesday, 2 June at 02:48 he was driving with two passengers when he realised a tyre had been punctured. “As he tried to contact his insurance company, the man heard something hit the vehicle and then saw two people holding a torchlight. A gunshot sounded, upon which the man drove off until he got to the Nylstroom Traffic Centre.”

Further investigation showed the tyre had been damaged, possibly by spikes, and a gunshot hole was found on the driver’s side of the vehicle, Mojapelo confirmed. In a separate incident, a local resident says he became a victim of a tyre-spiking incident but was courageous enough to get out of his vehicle as he had his licensed weapon. Tshepo Maphepha says after a few house break-in incidents he decided to obtain a gun licence which proved to be helpful when he recently found himself stranded in the CBD along Bok and Devenish streets, when he heard a loud noise coming from his vehicle’s tyre.Tshepo did not stop immediately as the street he was in was dark, but opted to drive to the next intersection where he stopped and was able to notice something had spiked his car tyre.

“I have suffered a number of punctures in my life before and I could tell that what happened that night was no ordinary puncture. I took my gun out and put it in my pocket before I started inspecting my car. That was when a white bakkie with tinted windows approached with two men sitting at the back.” He says that when they slowly approached and saw the gun, one of the guys instructed the driver to continue driving. He then got into his car and drove back to where the spiking incident happened to try and find the thing that caused the tyre to burst, but could not find anything. “But when the suspects approached, that was when I realised that the spiking was done deliberately. I thought about going to the police, but because they were of no assistance in previous cases, I decided the best thing to do is just warn other people. If something like this happens to you, don’t stop. If it means damaging your rims then so be it, because nothing is worth losing your life over. Who knows what they would have done to me if I didn’t have a gun on me.”

Mojapelo has urged motorists to remain vigilant and to report these matters to the police.