A COUPLE parked in the Pipeline Beach parking lot were shocked to witness a man in a car parked a mere 20-metres behind them being driven away by hijackers on Monday afternoon, 11 June around 3pm.
Hours later, the hijack victim and his car were found by authorities, after the criminals had escaped on foot.
While admiring the view from the parking lot, which is a known hijacking hotspot, Gauteng visitors to Amanzimtoti, Mandy Richards and her boyfriend were struck with fear as they witnessed a fellow view admirer being hijacked.
“We were sitting at Pipeline enjoying the view. We always go there and to the beach nearby,” said Miranda. “We noticed three men emerge from the bushes to approach the man sitting in his car behind us. My boyfriend and I both saw it happen. I was looking in my side mirror and he was looking in his rearview mirror.
Mandy’s boyfriend began hooting in the hope of causing a disruption to deter the criminals, but unfortunately they found that even driving their car into the hijacker’s path of escape made no difference.
“It happened so quickly. We reacted instantly. My boyfriend immediately pulled the car partly into their way and kept hooting. They raced past us and we were stunned when we saw a gun sticking out the window as they passed by. We honestly had no hope of catching them as they raced over the speed bumps like lunatics,” explained Mandy.
Shaken by the incident, the couple immediately reported the hijacking to Amanzimtoti SAPS.
“We were contacted by the detective twice. The victim’s brother also spoke to us after the victim and his car were recovered. He explained that the hijackers had allegedly escaped on foot over railway lines, but the victim made it out unharmed,” she said.
Mandy expressed her gratitude at how well the situation ended, all things considered.
“Thank you to the police – our faith is more than a little bit restored in you again,” she expressed. “We’re still astounded by these events – what a complete turnaround of emotions, devastated to so ecstatically thankful.”
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