Notorious spike gangs are believed to be behind these frightful incidents.

The two attacks took place about 90 minutes, and one kilometer apart from one another.

The incidents are presumed to have been perpetuated by the same group of culprits, due the short distance, and time, between both skirmishes.
The suspects were armed, resulting in shots haven been fired during both events.

The victims of the robberies were fortunate to have sustained only minimal physical injuries.

The attackers did not have a vehicle and traversed the N12 on foot.
In the first incident stones were placed on the road.

When the driver stopped to assess the damage, the criminals launched an ambush as the man and his girlfriend were held at gunpoint.
A policeman arrived at the scene which led to a single shot being fired.

The second group of victims were travelling via taxi when they stopped to relieve themselves.

This group of victims consisted of two men and a woman, with one man having been struck by attackers with firearms.
Shots were fired between the culprits and a policeman.

Police have urged the public to be observant and cautious during their journeys.

The police recommend that any obstacles in the path should be avoided and if unable to do so, no stoppage should take place, continue to drive until having reached your destination or a more populated and safe area.

These incidents have seemingly become more prevalent in recent times, with the Middelburg Observer having covered several stories related to these attacks in the past 18 months.

The attacks are known to take place during the evening and the early hours of the morning, in order to remain hidden and take advantage of there being an infrequent amount of passerby’s.

The first attack took place before 21:00, indicating that the spike gang may have become more brazen in their illicit activity.