An elderly Muslim couple were attacked during a road rage incident while their four grandchildren watched from inside the vehicle.
During an interview with the family, this is what they said about the violent ordeal that took place recently on the R103 near Cornfields.
The man (78) and his wife (67) were travelling from Colenso to Durban in their Hilux double-cab bakkie with their four grandchildren aged between five and 13 years old.
They found themselves driving behind a truck and wanted to overtake.
The 78-year-old grandfather made his move to overtake the truck, using his indicator and moving to the side of the truck.
While he was overtaking, a BMW approached from behind and started flicking lights at the family in the Hilux.
It is believed that the driver of the BMW then went off the road and overtook the truck and the Hilux.
“Now in front us, the driver of the BMW flagged us down, forcing our vehicle to come to a stop.”
The family recall that the driver approached their vehicle.
The elderly grandfather says he stepped out of the Hilux, thinking the man had spotted something wrong with his bakkie, only to have the driver of the BMW lunge at him and punch him in the chest. “I told the man to stop, as I have a heart condition, but he continued to punch me repeatedly. My wife then got out of the vehicle and tried to stop the assault, while our grandchildren were screaming inside the vehicle.”
The driver of the BMW allegedly turned his attention to the 67-year-old woman and began strangling her until she almost passed out.
After the altercation, both drivers then left the scene, with the driver of the BMW following the Hilux bakkie until the Ultra City on the N3.
The elderly man sustained injuries and was taken to a doctor in Estcourt for treatment. The family then went to open a case at Colenso police station.
A case of common assault is being investigated.
According to the traumatised family, police then brought the driver of the BMW to apologise to them for the ordeal.
At the time of going to press, police could not comment on the matter.
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