Middelburg resident, Ernst Marais, was very nearly robbed during broad daylight, after having to make a trip to the dreaded area.

Out of experience, Ernst knows the area to be a crime hotspot, and avoids going there at all costs, but there is only one post office and he had no choice.
He had parked his vehicle on the corner, on Wednesday, mid-morning, and ran his errand.

When he was done, he returned to his vehicle, got in and closed the door when it suddenly flung open and a man stood by his side.

Two female traffic officers were driving by and started shouting at the suspect.

They managed to scare him off, but their vehicle was facing the opposite direction and he escaped capture.

Ernst found it interesting that when he arrived at the post office, he had trouble locking his vehicle remotely.

He suspects that someone was using a remote jammer to interfere with the signal, but he managed to lock his car on the third try.

“I just wish I could thank the two officers in person. If they had not been there, things could have turned much worse. I did thank them on the spot but they drove off and I could not get their names, so once again thank you to the two ladies.”

Whilst Ernst was fortunate to escape serious harm, his wife, Amanda, expressed concern over the hundreds of elderly people queueing all day for their pensions.

The area surrounding the Middelburg Post Office has become notorious for the high volumes of crime that frequently occur.