Man attacked and stabbed at Ballito beachfront speaks out

One of the three men who was stabbed at the Ballito beachfront last Monday said he will never visit any Ballito beach again.

Paul Msimang, who was stabbed six times by a group of men in their teens and early 20s, said he will never forget the attack.

“I thought I was dying. Those guys found us sitting by the beach after a day of hard work. One of them took my friend’s hat and when we asked for it, they pulled out knives and started stabbing us,” said Msimang.

Msimang said they were brought down to Ballito from Johannesburg for construction work and it was a usual routine for them to relax at the beach in the afternoon.

“Those guys wanted to finish me off, I am really scared of that place (Ballito). I will only go there for work purposes, but will never go to the beach again,” said Msimang.

He suspects the men were drunk because they had also harassed a woman before they attacked him and his friends.

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According to Ballito resident Warwick Cartey, employer of the three men, one of the victims suffered a punctured lung and the other two were stabbed in the shoulder.

“They were chased up the Hawkins Road car park towards a café in the Ballito village where they were cornered and attacked. Their attackers jumped into a taxi and sped away,” said Cartey.

A man was also stabbed at the beachfront on New Year’s Day.

Acting chairperson of the Ballito CPF and chairperson of the Ballito Neighbourhood Watch, Gary Frances, said last week that they were extremely concerned and would meet with the authorities to discuss the matter.

Ward six councillor Tammy Colley said she believed that a plan needed to be made to prevent this from happening again.

“The issue of people drinking at car parks also needs to be addressed because it’s becoming a problem in Ballito,” said Colley.

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