Mr Gerald Tatenda Chidemo would not forget the nightmare day he was held at gunpoint, tied with his shoelaces and left on the side of the road.
On Friday, September 9, Chidemo was on his way home. As he approached the stop sign on Kiepersol Street, he noticed a grey Audi.
He thought it wanted to pass him. He said he drove as far left on the road as possible to make way for the Audi, which appeared to be in a rush and close to his vehicle.
“The Audi passed me and then suddenly stopped. Three men exited the Audi, and one of them pointed a firearm at me. The other two men approached my window, knocked on it and said that I should open my door while they looked inside,” Chidemo said.
According to Chidemo, he opened his door, and one of the men pushed him and told him to get into the back seat.
He said he moved between the front seats to the back, and the men climbed into the car.
“They told me to look down and not lift my head. As I looked down, they put the firearm against my back.”
He said they drove, and the men debated whether they should take the N12 or N4, but they ended up taking the Verena Road.
They didn’t tell him they were going to drive on that road, and Chidemo said he found out when they reached a stop sign at Pine Ridge and parked the car next to the road. He managed to lift his head and saw a wall that he recognised as he used to go to Pine Ridge for work.
“They made a turn, drove back to the stop sign and turned right. That’s how I knew we were on the Verena Road. They drove to Siyanqoba and drove off the road. My head was facing down, but I knew they were off the road because I could feel bumps,” he said.
He said they stopped, and the men pulled him out of his vehicle and tied him with his shoelaces.
They demanded his phone, bank card, bank pin, and money from his wallet.
“They told me they do not need my car and am only interested in my money. Two men left to withdraw money, and I stayed behind with the one who pointed a firearm at me. The two men called the one with the firearm and asked for the pin to my banking app. I gave it to them. They returned to the bushes and demanded that I transfer money from my savings account to my cheque account,” he said.
He said they realised he had another banking app on his cell phone and demanded that he log into it so they could see the amounts.
They demanded that he do a Cash Send. He said the two men left again and came back after a few hours.
“The incident occurred late at night. I have a limit on the amount of money I can withdraw, so they had to wait for time to pass to the next day to do so again,” he said.
The two men returned to fetch the one who stayed behind and allegedly told Chidemo that they called someone to pick them up.
He said the man with the firearm debated with the other two about his vehicle and said they should kill him and take it, but the other two argued that he complied and should leave the vehicle.
“They ordered me into my car and got in too. They started driving and dropped me off before the main road. They tied my hands behind my back, and I lost balance and fell. I heard a shot fire and could feel dirt on my head, so I think they fired the shot next to my head. They drove away, and I managed to find a stone to rub my shoelaces against so I could free my hands,” Chidemo said.
He claimed that he ran to the main road and checked both sides, hoping to find his vehicle, but sadly didn’t. He said he came across another vehicle on the road but didn’t hear anyone and decided to walk away.
He said he walked in the direction of a garage in Klarinet when he decided to go to a friend who lives in the area.
“I wasn’t thinking of anything. I just wanted to go home.” He said his friend took him to his home and then went to the police. “It was traumatising,” he said in closing.
Chidemo requests the community to contact him if they find his vehicle: A red Polo Vivo, with registration number ASD 030 CM, and to contact him on 072 854 0378.
Share your news tips via: Telephone: 013 656 2490 Email: info@witbanknews.co.za
Or follow us on WITBANK NEWS platforms: Instagram, Twitter Witbank News App Facebook page Witbank News Breaking
