Badly assaulted Comrades champ still in high-care unit

Comrades marathon champion Nick Bester is still in a high-care unit at a private hospital in Pretoria, after he was badly assaulted while training in the north of Pretoria at the weekend.

“He’s still very confused and even hallucinating,” Bester’s son Shaun told Pretoria Rekord.

Bester (60) was understood to have been hiking along the Magalies mountain near Amandasig when he was ambushed by three men.

The alleged robbers hit him with a rock from behind.

In an earlier conversation with Rekord, Shaun said the robbers proceeded to hit his father and took his cellphone and his bank cards.

“They forced him to give them bank cards, tied him up and left him there,” he said.

He said his father was also stripped of his clothes and left in only his underwear.

Shaun said the 1991 Comrades champ had suffered three broken ribs, a broken cheekbone, a gash on his head and multiple cuts on his head.

This week, another broken bone was discovered above his eye.

“They’re also trying to flush out the protein in his body because of all the muscle damage,” he said.

Meanwhile, the attack on Bester was condemned by Events to Aid NGO spokesperson Clive Grinaker.

“We are absolutely shocked by the news of this assault and the sheer unnecessary brutality of the attack,” he said.

Grinaker said they were fully behind Bester and wished him a speedy recovery.

BrightRock deputy CEO Suzanne Stevens echoed a similar sentiment, saying: “We don’t have the full story as of yet, but we are sending our thoughts and prayers, wishing him a speedy recovery and much strength to his family over this time.”

ORIGINAL REPORT: Comrades champ badly assaulted, stripped of clothes in north attack