Phillimon “Rastaman” Kobe relates with pain his encounter with criminals driving a Toyota Quantum. They stabbed him for his belongings.
Kobe said on July 7 he was coming from Hospitalview where he was working with his partner Phistus Morapedi when their ordeal began.
“We were struggling to get local taxis to Swazi Inn when a white Quantum pulled up and offered us a ride as they claimed to be going to BP in Swazi Inn.
We did not suspect any danger because we thought the five occupants we found in the Toyota Quantum were also passengers. We boarded the vehicle at U-save shopping supermarket in Hospitalview along Ruth First Street. We expected the vehicle to turn right into Reverend RTJ Namane Drive but it proceeded straight instead. Immediately when it crossed the robot at the corner of Ruth First Street and Rev RTJ Namane Drive, we were attacked and the occupants started searching for our valuables,” said Rastaman.
He said he had R600 on him and a Nedbank card and his partner had R300. He said the criminals took their money and their cellphones.
“We were then driven to a bush where I was beaten in coercion to divulge the card’s pin numbers. I gave them wrong pin numbers. We were driven to an Engine garage along the R24 freeway. When the guy who went to withdraw realised the pin numbers were incorrect, the other occupant stabbed me with a tyre lever spanner which pierced into my back. They stirred it to force me to give the right pin numbers. They took my money from my bank account and used my phone to buy themselves cellphone airtime from my Capitec bank account,” said Rastaman.
He said thereafter the criminals left with him and his partner from the Garage. “They told us they were going to kill us and dump us where they normally dump their dead victims.”
“We were driven to a veld along R25 in Bredel area and that is where they dropped us. We could not take the Quantum’s registration numbers as they were removed. We requested for help from passing motorists who drove us into Tembisa and we managed to contact our families. My son came to my rescue and took me to a hospital. My lung’s nerves nearly got damaged by the object, said the doctors. I was stitched up and I’m healing gradually,” said Rastaman. He said he contacted the paper to alert people about the Quantum criminals. “People need to take taxis in large groups as criminals travel in numbers.”
