WATCH: Shuttle robbed in CBD – A year later, and still no answers
The victim said he felt let down when no arrests were made.
Mndeni Dlamini from Rietkuil, Arnot, detailed how he was robbed by a group of men in 2024.
On the day of the incident, he was travelling with a group of passengers who hired his Quantum to travel from Arnot to Middelburg and back again.
Mndeni works as a shuttle transport driver, and the incident happened on Cowen Ntuli Street.
At the time of the robbery, the group decided to make a stop at a garage in town to withdraw money.
According to Mndeni, two of the passengers exited the Quantum and said they were going to walk to a nearby club.
@middelburgobserver A dash cam footage taken from the shuttle when the robbery occurred over a year ago. The occupants in the vehicle could be heard screaming during the commotion. #MiddelburgObserver #robbery #CowenNtuliStreet #Middelburg
After waiting for them for a while, the pair came running towards him, saying they had been robbed.
He then noticed a group of men following, running after the pair.
The alleged robbers claimed that their car had been stolen, suggesting the pair had stolen it. One of the robbers allegedly grabbed Mndeni’s car keys and broke the Quantum key in the ignition.
Mndeni alleges that one of the robbers stole his phone, an iPhone 11, while he was charging it.
Screams can be heard in a video of the attack, taken from dash cam footage.
Mndeni said after the attack, he ran to a nearby garage for assistance. The police arrived, but he said they didn’t take statements, citing that the passengers were drunk, although he told them he was sober and could make a statement.
He said he went to report the robbery a few days later and gave the video footage to the police. However, he was informed that the case was closed a few days later.
Mndeni expressed that he felt disappointed when the case was closed, without any arrests made.
He has since gone back to working as a shuttle driver, although he now feels uneasy.
• The Middelburg Observer reached out to the SAPS for comment on why the case was closed despite the victim having video evidence and allegedly knowing one of the suspects, but at the time of publication, no comment had been received.
