Jaco Nolan, was stabbed 12 times and left for dead. He claims it was done by a man who used to do piece jobs in his garden. He now fears for his life because his assailant is still at large and has become so arrogant that he is tormenting him on Whatsapp.

Mr Nolan was moving from Carolina to Middelburg on 31 August. He asked a man he identified as Mbhekezeli Nkosi, who did regular piece jobs for him, to help him with the move.

“When we got to the farm house I realised that everything was not going to fit on the bakkie and trailer I had. He offered to organise another bakkie because he knew people in the Carolina area. I waited inside the house whilst he went outside to make a phone call,” said Mr Nolan.

Mr Nolan said that he noticed that when Mr Nkosi returned, he had put on his gardener gloves and had a knife with him. He attacked without warning and Mr Nolan was stabbed in the stomach, on his hands and arms, in his neck and on the head.

His attacker tied him up and threw a bed and couch on top of him before he fled with his vehicle and trailer. Mr Nolan estimates that he lost consciousness for 45 minutes. When he regained his conciousness, he managed to get out from under the bed. Once outside he yelled for help before collapsing. An elderly man living in the vicinity heard him scream and alerted authorities.

A policeman with knowledge of the scene said that it is a mere miracle that Mr Nolan survived. He was found unconscious with his intestines hanging out. Police suspected that more people were injured because of the large amount of blood on the scene.

“Just the fact that he managed to get out from under the bed and couch is a miracle in itself. He was left to bleed out under that bed.”

“There is no doubt in my mind, I was left for dead,” agrees Mr Nolan.

Unfortunately, the horror story does not end there. Almost two weeks later Mr Nolan was contacted by the Mhluzi police station. His vehicle and trailer were found in Mhluzi and he was asked to come to the station to identify them.

He took photos of all the items left behind in his vehicle, including his GPS, a watch, his house keys and a file with personal documents such as his banking details and copies of his ID.

Mr Nolan could not get the vehicle back yet as certain forensic tests still had to be done. When he did get his vehicle back, his GPS was missing and some of his personal documents were torn out of the file.

It has since been a battle to get any co-operation from the police, Mr Nolan claims. To make matters worse, he was contacted via Whatsapp by the man he suspects of attacking him, Mr Nkosi, a week ago. The messages read “Heita” and then “Say something”.

He reported the matter to local authorities but nothing has happened since.

A source close to the investigation says that cell phone service providers require a 30 day window to supply requested information after a subpoena.

Mr Nolan is now going as far as subpoenaing Vodacom for the coordinates of the suspect’s cell phone in his personal capacity.

“I cannot rest or relax before he is behind bars. Do you have any idea how it feels to know your attacker might be living in the same town as you? And he is not hiding or scared, he is texting you on Whatsapp.”

Mr Nolan lives in fear. He says that he cannot sleep at night and that he is carrying a firearm with him at all times.

“My fiancé and I do not go anywhere. We fear that he might come back for me. It is so frustrating.”

A reward of R10 000 is offered for anyone with information that will lead to the arrest of Nkosi. If you recognize the man in the photo please contact the investigating officer detective constable Lehobye on 072 355 5748 or the Carolina police station commander on 082 318 9570.