Darnall farmer says “God’s mercy” spared his life in hijack horror

A Darnall farmer recounts his terrifying six-hour ordeal at the hands of five armed hijackers that left him bloodied and battered last weekend.

Marius Kotze, 58, told the Courier that at about 2.15pm on Saturday, August 1, he was waiting in his parked car outside a small supermarket in Darnall where he had dropped off his gardener and the employee’s wife to do their grocery shopping.

According to Kotze five men carrying handguns appeared out of nowhere and forced him out of the driver’s seat and then onto the floor in the back.

“I told them to take the car and whatever else they wanted and leave me alone. Instead one of the men pistol-whipped me and kicked me in my side,” said Kotze.

Forced to lie on his stomach with a foot pressing his head against the floor, Kotze said he prayed for his life.

“I thought they were going to kill me when a pistol was held against my head. The whole time I just could not believe this was happening to me. I just thought ‘This is it – I’m dead.’ ”

Kotze said the men drove around for about an hour before threatening him to give up his bank card PIN number.

“An older man approached the car and took out a card machine. They used my bank card to try and withdraw money but because my card was an American Express the card machine declined it. I was interrogated about my pin and repeatedly hit because my card did not work. The men were extremely agitated and we drove off again.”

The gunmen stopped at an other ATM machine but because they had already had so many failed attempts with the card, it would not work.

“After driving for some time they stopped the car and pushed me out after removing my shoes. I did not how it would end after I heard gunshots, I just ran and hid in some bushes. After making sure the hijackers had left I kept walking until I came across an elderly man who took me to his house.”

The good Samaritan and his family called Kotze’s brother-in-law to tell him he was safe and the local police drove him to the Maphumulo police station.

A community member from the Farm Watch group took him home.

The hijackers had dropped Kotze off in Maphumulo – about 70km from Darnall.

Badly beaten, with a broken rib and shaken, he refused to go to a nearby hospital for treatment out of concern for exposure to Covid-19.

“I did not foresee coming out of this alive but I believe by God’s mercy my life was spared.”

Kotze said by sharing his experience he hoped readers would remain vigilant. He did not believe this was a premeditated attack but rather an opportunistic one.

Despite the harrowing ordeal Kotze says he harbours no ill feelings towards the men who so dramatically upended his life.

“I am just thankful to be alive.”

Police recovered his wrecked vehicle abandoned in Maphumulo.

KwaDukuza police spokesperson, Priya Nunkumar confirmed that a case of car jacking had been opened at KwaDukuza police station and was being investigated.

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