A Rosebank commuter who wished to remain anonymous has been left shaken after he was nearly robbed on the corner of Bompas Road and Jan Smuts Avenue.
The man was travelling from Illovo to Craighall Park at about 6.30pm and was stationary at a red traffic light at the intersection, when he noticed one man walk past his vehicle in front and another man to the right.
“The male on my right was walking and talking very loudly on his cellphone, which seemed a little out of the ordinary and suspicious, so I looked to my left to see where the first male was and noticed he had stopped to turn and look at me and then proceeded to walk towards my car,” he said.
“At this point I started closing my windows that were open but… the male on my right was already at my window and pushing it down, preventing it from closing.”
He added that the man at his window started threatening him, demanding his cellphone and threatening to shoot him. “So I quickly looked to my left to see where the other male was and he was trying to open my passenger door. I looked to my right again and saw the second male reaching into his jacket and, at this point, I sped off into the busy intersection, through the red light, nearly causing an accident, but luckily avoided any.”
Parkview police were approached for comment about whether this area is a problem. “The police are aware of incidents occurring at that intersection and relevant measures are being taken to prevent future incidents occurring,” commented Parkview police’s Major Sandile Mkhize.
Fellow officer Sergeant Iris Phoko added that police have also noticed a problem of theft of motor vehicles in the area, especially in Parkhurst. “I would like to warn motorists to not leave your cars unlocked, don’t park your cars on the street, especially at night, install alarms and immobilisers, and report the theft of your car immediately so that police can react quickly. Also, vehicles left overnight often become targets for criminals,” said Phoko.
Details: Parkview Police Station 011 486 5000.
