According to Herculaas Taljaard from the Middelburg Community Policing Forum (CPF), they were a group in four bakkies who were on their way to Fochville for work when the incident occurred.

“Just past the weighbridge, I saw a black bag in the road and swerved. The person behind me also tried to swerve, but drove over it with a back wheel, which immediately went flat,” Taljaard explained.

The group stopped and quickly realised that the bag had been secured over metal spikes to prevent it from blowing away in the wind. “They tie the black bag together with the spikes in the road so you don’t notice it until you’re too close,” he said.

Taljaard suspects that because they were travelling in a group, the spike robbers were deterred from attacking. They helped the affected driver change his tyre before continuing their journey.

He later warned motorists via WhatsApp emergency groups to remain cautious when driving in the area.

In 2023, Herculaas Taljaard came to the aid of two children on the N4 after their mother drove over rocks. He stopped a truck driver to help them, but when robbers jumped out of a bush, the startled driver drove off with the mother in the truck. The truck driver later dropped her off, and Herculaas ensured that the children and their mother were safely reunited.