Two Polokwane women survive abduction attempt
Two women who were awaiting an e-hailing service in Voortrekker Street were forced into the back of a van before one of them jumped out in the area of the Matlala Road.
POLOKWANE – The Community Policing Forum (CPF) in the city encourages citizens to maximise their personal safety at all times, to avoid being targeted by criminals.
This, after two women aged 20 and 23 escaped an abduction attempt in the early hours Saturday morning while awaiting an e-hailing service.
According to the victims, whose names are withheld, they were waiting for a sedan outside a building in Voortrekker Street when a multi-purpose vehicle pulled up at around 03:00. A man alighted from the vehicle, opened the boot and returned with a knife, one of them said.
“He then threatened us with the knife, saying we have to get into the vehicle,” she said.
A while later, one of the women managed to jump out of the moving vehicle in the area of the Matlala road traffic lights near Westenburg, the woman told Polokwane Observer.
“He stopped to check if I was still breathing and my friend then managed to run into the bushes. I lost consciousness and was told by my friend that he then drove off. A man who came from the Westenburg side assisted us,” she said.
The two women were taken to hospital for medical attention and opted to recover first before filing a police case.
CPF chairperson Rudolph Phaswana advised residents that they have a responsibility to find quick ways to avoid being targeted once they find themselves in dangerous circumstances.
“People should avoid being in unsafe spaces, especially in the city at night, when there is little chance of anyone assisting them. Always share a live location on your cellphone with a trusted individual and inform them when you feel unsafe.” He added that information such as vehicle registration numbers are crucial evidence in such matters and victims of crime should try and remember as much detail as possible.
