A man recently attacked while biking in Irene recounted this week how his assailants threatened to kill him.
Jaco Oosthuizen was mountain-biking in an open field near Cornwall Hill on Sunday, when two men approached him, forced him off his bicycle and tied him up.
“I did not know whether they were armed or not and did not resist. I told them they could take everything, but they tied my hands behind my back and then told me to walk into the bush,” Oosthuizen said.
“I asked why and told them to just take the bike and let me go. They responded that the bike did not mean anything and that I was going to die.”
It was at this time that Oosthuizen moved towards the road, but his attackers started assaulting him, hitting him against the side and back of his head with rocks.
He was rescued when two other mountainbikers appeared, causing his attackers to flee.
“They helped me to get home and to emergencies at Unitas hospital. The staff there helped me immediately and sent me for a Cat Scan. Luckily I had no skull fractures,” said Oosthuizen.
“I needed surgery to clean all the wounds and a lot of stitches. I also went to high care for the night to get my kidneys clean from all the toxins.”
Oosthuizen was discharged on Monday and went for trauma councilling on Wednesday.
“During a time like this you obviously reflect a lot. All I can say for now is that we need to live each day to its fullest and appreciate our family and friends. I am glad to still be here. I will obviously learn from this, but it was a chance event,” he said.
“We should not let things like this infringe on our right to freedom and make us live in fear. I will make use of this opportunity to see how we can make our country a safer place. The freedom and safety of my family is very important – even more after such an event.”
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