Afriforum helps stranded motorist amid rise in spiking incidents on N12

The corporate communication officer of Delmas Police, Capt Carla Hartley, urges motorists to be vigilant on the N12, especially in the Delmas area.

“Several incidents of spiking, and stones and bricks on the road surface are picking up on the N12,” Capt Hartley said.

The modus operandi of the suspects is to place objects on the road such as tyre spikes, slabs, bricks and large rocks covered in a plastic to trap motorists.

Once motorists drive over these objects, their tyres are punctured or their vehicles are damaged in the process.

They are then forced to stop and inspect their vehicles.

While doing so, the criminals violently approach and rob them of valuables, such as cell phones, laptops, clothes, cameras, firearms, jewellery, and money.

In one such incident, an elderly couple and their daughter lost two tyres on their vehicle.

The family was returning from a vacation in the Kruger National Park on Friday, September 3, when they apparently hit bricks on the N12 road surface in the RDP region next to Botleng.

The couple was heading to their hometown of Klerksdorp when this happened.

“I was driving a normal speed when I suddenly saw the bricks in the road. There was no way of swerving or avoiding it,” said the victim.

“ A bakkie came from behind and I saw it going over the same bricks.

“It was only after a couple of hundred meters that I realised that I am losing control over my vehicle and that something was seriously wrong.

“I was forced to stop on the side of the road,” he said.

The 86-year-old victim, his wife and stepdaughter were left vulnerable and stranded with two flat and torn tyres on the extremely dangerous N12, just pass the R42 Bronkhorstspruit off-ramp, direction Johannesburg.

A concerned family member contacted AfriForum, which in turn contacted Mr Carel Botha from the AfriForum Delmas Valke Neighbourhood Watch.

Help was immediately dispatched, but after a while, it was discovered that both car tyres were destroyed beyond repair and a tow truck was summoned to the scene.

The victims were safely escorted into Delmas to have their car repaired, but not before the tow-in truck hit the exact same bricks near Botleng and were also left with a flat right front tyre.

“I am extremely thankful for the help that arrived so quickly. I was not even aware of the dangers of spiking and stones on the road surface,” the victim told Streeknuus.

That is one of our biggest concerns,” said Capt Hartley.

“It is not so much the residents from Delmas and surrounding areas who fall into the trap of these perpetrators. It is normally innocent people passing by on the N12, unaware of the lurking dangers of spiking and stones on the highway,” Capt Hartley told Streeknuus.

According to Capt. Hartley, areas mostly affected are the N12 between the R42 and R50 off-ramps as well as the area between the Petroport and the Argent off-ramp.

Motorists are further urged not to stop if possible, but rather to proceed to nearest safe place or police station.

Report any incident to Delmas Police at 013 665 6820 / 25.