An on-duty traffic officer became the latest victim of the notorious N4 spiking robbers and is now warning motorists to remain vigilant.

According to Middelburg Observer, Kaizer Mohale said he was travelling in an unmarked vehicle on Tuesday night when the incident occurred near the Bethal off-ramp at around 22:30. He thought he had a flat tyre but later realised he had driven over spikes.

When Mohale stopped to change the tyre, four men suddenly ambushed him. One was armed and fired two shots before ordering him to lie on the ground.

Robbed and held in bushes

The men forced him into nearby bushes, where they held him for nearly two hours. He was robbed of his phones and forced to hand over his banking app PINs, after which both his accounts were emptied.

Mohale said the robbers eventually released him, telling him which direction to walk. He made it back to the N4, where a passing motorist stopped. Mohale asked him to go to the Middelburg Toll Gate for assistance while he stayed behind at the vehicle.

Another motorist reportedly struck spikes near the Van Dyksdrift off-ramp but managed to escape by driving on flat tyres.

Criminal tactics evolving

Warnings circulating on WhatsApp groups claim that criminals are now placing rocks on one side of the road, forcing vehicles to swerve onto spikes on the other side.

Over the past decade, dozens of motorists have fallen prey to spiking robberies along both the N12 and N4.

*This article’s headline was amended after it incorrectly referred to Bethal instead of Middelburg.

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