ROBERT Johnson, has always been vigilant about crime and aware of being safe and cautious but was caught completely off guard when four school boys attacked him when he was stranded on the N2 highway on Tuesday morning.
The Musgrave architect was returning to his home office from Prospecton where had had been working on a project, when his car suddenly cut out. He called his assistant to arrange for a tow truck so he could return to the city for a meeting. “I had just passed the old airport so tried to roll the car into the emergency lane and stopped just beyond a pedestrian bridge near Lamontville. When I got out I noticed a large bank and on top was what I assumed to be a group of school boys dressed in the dark grey pants and white school shirts. I thought they were just curious kids but couldn’t figure why they were out of class in the morning,” he explained.
Johnson jumped back into his car and opened the windows for some relief from the morning heat. He put his head down to look at his phone screen and call his assistant to see if they were on the way when the four boys surrounded the car. “Three were at the passenger side and one at my door, I was shocked but said Good morning,I thought they might have come to help but the guys opened my door.”
Johnson said he knew it was trouble when the boy opened the door. “It took me so much by surprise because they were so quick, I barely had time to react but I shouted, What are you doing?”
As he resisted, the three boys on the passenger side punched him in the head. “When I wouldn’t let go of my phone, the attacker on my side bit my wrist, forcing me to let go,” he said recalling the traumatic attack.
Luck was on Johnson’s side when a five-ton truck stopped at that moment and the youngsters fled up the bank. “If the two men hadn’t stopped, anything could have happened. I didn’t know if they had a knife, but they could have got my wallet, camera and gym bag and continued to rob me and things could have been more dire,” he said.
The good Samaritans were on their way to Pietermaritzburg and offered to dropped Johnson and all his belongings at a garage on the Higginson Highway. “The manager at the garage called the Montclair police and let my assistant know where I was. The police arrived quickly and told me it wasn’t safe to leave the car on the highway so went to check on the car.” In the less than 30 minutes it had taken since the attack and returning to his vehicle, thieves had already started stripping it and police arrived to find the battery had been removed.
Johnson said he was grateful to the two good Samaritans who stopped and the quick action by police as his car could have been totally stripped by the time the tow truck arrived. As someone who is always vigilant about crime, Johnson said the young thugs had acted so fast and with such clear intent that he was left shocked. He appealed to the public to be extra vigilant about checking that their cars were in 100 per cent working order before attempting to drive as his ordeal could have been a lot worse. “I think if something like this happens, take whatever is valuable and get out of the situation. Get someone to fetch you and take you to safety because you are completely vulnerable, it is not safe to be stuck anywhere on the freeway,” he advised.
Cheryl Johnson, Save Our Berea working committee member and wife of Robert Johnson was horrified by the incident. “It’s yet another horror story that residents have to deal with, being attacked in our homes, attacked on the street and attacked when we run into trouble travelling from work and pounced on by hyenas. It is sad that in South Africa today, there is danger everywhere despite our best efforts to be vigilant they are ready to take you by surprise. I am really grateful to the two good Samaritans who stooped,” she said.
Private investigator, Brad Nathanson said such situations leave people very vulnerable to criminal elements and the best advice was to try to get yourself to safety. “Let go of your material things, even your vehicle because you cannot compare material things to living human beings. Its difficult to attract attention in the day and very few people stop out of fear themselves, which is understandable. If you are in the vehicle, sit tight and wait for help if its on the way, if you know its going to be a while try to rather get away from the vehicle. At night its easier to draw attention by flashing your lights. A good tip is to carry pepper spray on you as it is a deterrent,” he said.
