Pensioner fights off hijackers

A 72-year-old Brenthurst resident fought off two hijackers around half his age after being robbed of his car last Friday.

Pieter van der Merwe is well known in the community for the services he provides at the Brakpan Cemetery.

As reported in a September 2021 edition of the Herald, van der Merwe has been at the cemetery every Sunday for several years to see that the people who visit their buried loved ones are safe.

He calls it community service and firmly believes that every person should take time to serve the community in some way.

Van der Merwe had to fight for his life to ensure his safety during the hijacking, which he described as an ‘ordeal of hell’.

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The pensioner was accosted by three men after he stopped at the corner of Donaldson and Joubert streets in Brenthurst at around 12:30.

“The metro has been repairing water leaks in the cemetery and I stopped to take photos,” he told the Herald on Monday.

“The three heavily armed guys came from nowhere. It happened in a split second.”

Van der Merwe was forced into the back seat of his white Volkswagen Polo and the hijackers drove off with him. His attackers threatened to shoot him and drove around with him for about an hour.

Van der Merwe told the Herald that somewhere along the route one of the hijackers left. They also swapped drivers at some point.

“I don’t know if there was a backup vehicle, I couldn’t see much,” he said.

“The first guy who drove also didn’t seem to know what he was doing.”

After driving along a gravel road to a secluded area, the car stopped.

“When we finally stopped, I couldn’t see where, they pulled me out and tried to put me in the boot,” he said.

“I saw one of them pick up a car jack and when he tried to hit me with it, I kicked him. Then I saw the other one coming towards me and I kicked him as well. I just kept kicking at them and kept them away from me.”

The hijackers, who van der Merwe estimates were in their 30s, left him in the veld. They also robbed him of his cellphone.

He walked for about half an hour until he reached the main road.

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“It was the R550 to Vosloorus. It took me about another half an hour to get someone to stop and help,” he said.

“EMPD officers escorting a heavy load vehicle stopped. They were very nice and took me to the Kwa-Thema Police Station,” he said.

Van der Merwe was unable to fulfil his cemetery duties over the weekend but hopes to be back soon. He has been occupied with the tasks victims of crime have to complete after falling prey to lawbreakers.

“I had to go and do a sim-swap for my phone and sort out the car insurance,” he said.

This is the second time van der Merwe has been hijacked.

“The first time was about 15 years ago, one evening in front of my house in Brenthurst. But they didn’t take me with them. This time being taken with them was very traumatic,” he said.

“My body is still very sore and I’m not sleeping. It was a real ‘highway to hell’ experience.”