Eersterust man traumatised after brutal hijacking claims friend’s life

A 23-year-old man from Eersterust is still traumatised and devastated after being involved in a brutal hijacking on April 11 that claimed the life of his friend, Naylan Smith.

In an emotional interview with Rekord, Reanu Mason shared how the past few days have been a significant challenge for him, yet he strives to focus on the positives.

“I try to think positively and focus on how grateful I am to still be alive. I also think of the good memories that I shared with Naylan Smith and how much of a good person he was,” he said.

However, Mason acknowledged that there were moments when the pain resurfaced.

He described how seeing his friend’s home or belongings brings back haunting memories of that fateful day, causing him to fall apart.

Mason recounted the harrowing moments.

He noted that it was around 05:30 when he heard a gunshot followed by a scream from Smith calling his name.

“Luckily, I was already awake and quickly rushed outside, only to be confronted by a terrifying scene of three men attempting to hijack Naylan’s car,” he said.

“I ran and jumped over the yard gate with a pepper spray, and I managed to spray them off Naylan, which helped blind their vision.”

In the chaos, one of the hijackers pointed a gun at Mason’s head, but due to the pepper spray’s effects, he missed and shot his hand instead.

“After I was shot, I tried to duck and dive and attempted to run away, but then I was shot in the leg and fell on the ground,” he recalled.

Despite his injuries, Mason pushed himself to keep running and heard a final gunshot that narrowly missed him.

He explained that when he got inside the house, he inspected the damage to his hand, which had a significant wound with his thumb hanging at a precarious angle.

“My family rushed outside after hearing the commotion, but by then, the hijackers had fled with the car.

“I was helped to wrap my hand so that the bleeding could stop, and when everyone was outside, they found Naylan lying in front of the yard, unconscious,” he said.

Mason said an ambulance was called to the scene, and both he and Smit were transported to the hospital.

“Naylan was still alive when the ambulance arrived. When we arrived at the hospital, I was taken to another room separate from Naylan,” said Mason.

Unfortunately, he received the devastating news that Naylan had passed away shortly after their arrival.

“I was extremely devastated; I would’ve done anything to help my friend.”

Mason’s mother, who preferred to remain anonymous, spoke about the trauma her son is enduring.

“Reanu is extremely traumatised and is still finding it hard to adjust.”

She described the state of Mason’s hand, which necessitated immediate surgery.

“He was transported to Life Wilgers Hospital where he received immediate care.

“However, after a couple of hours, he had to be transferred to Mamelodi Hospital due to not having medical aid.”

She said her son stayed at the hospital for a couple of days.

To help cover the medical expenses, Mason’s mother initiated a GoFundMe campaign on BackaBuddy to help pay for her son’s medical expenses.

“Due to the urgency of the matter, Reanu’s boss decided to pay the bill so that the surgery could be done quickly, as the doctor had advised,” she shared.

Mason was ultimately transferred to Montana Hospital on April 13, where he had the surgery and was discharged the following morning on April 14.

She said the donations they received from the public totalled R27 000, and with the money, she was able to pay R25 000 towards some medical expenses and plans to use the remaining amount to settle the bill from Life Wilgers Hospital.

She added that she started to pay back Mason’s boss for his efforts and help to pay for the surgery.

“I was extremely worried that my son would not be operated on time, which would cost him dearly, as he is also a barber and uses his hands to work and make a living.”

Mason’s mother described her son as a well-mannered young man and loved by the community.

She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to everyone who had contributed and offered support.

“We are grateful to everyone who has been reaching out and has supported us during this time.”

To assist the family further, those wishing to contribute can visit Mason’s BackaBuddy page: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/reanu-mason-surgery-on-hand.

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