Man robbed in Pinetown intersection

WITH an increase in the number of smash and grabs in the Pinetown CBD, Pinetown police have urged people to keep their windows closed, especially when they are approaching intersections.

An Ashley resident was the latest victim when four armed men attacked him in the CBD on Monday, 16 February.

“I was at Anderson Road, about to turn right onto Richmond Road, when four men, one on each side of my car, approached me.

“Two of them were armed with guns and the other two were carrying knives.

“One of them hit me on the head when he reached for my car keys,” he said.

He added that he is still confused if it was a smash and grab or if they were trying to hijack him.

“They asked for my phone, which was barely two weeks old, after they could not remove the key from the ignition,” he said.

Pinetown SAPS communications officer, Lt Bongumusa Manqele, said many cases of robberies have been reported where motorists are robbed by criminals because they take advantage of open windows.

“Pinetown is a busy place and is surrounded by a big industrial area where people come to deliver and collect goods for their businesses.”

The items that are usually taken are cell phones, jewellery and money.

He said the criminals have a way of making a motorist open a window when it is closed.

“They point at the tyre of the vehicle to say that it is flat, and when you open the window to check you get robbed,” said Mnqele.

The criminals are using the road construction that is taking place in the Pinetown CBD to their advantage.

The Ashley victim thanked the Ashley Neighbourhood Watch for assisting him. The men who robbed him fled in two different directions.

The most problematic intersections are Josiah Gumede and Anderson Roads, Josiah Gumede and Crompton Street and  Josiah Gumede and Glenugie Road.