Two men driving on South Road just after 9pm narrowly avoided a hijacking under the bridge before the Edison Street turn off on 14 August.
Nick Da Silva and his friend were driving home from the airport and had turned off Marlboro Drive and into South Road when they noticed a white Hyundai i20 driving at a fast speed and then slowing down to the same speed as them in the lane next.
“They cut us off, angling their car in the Edison Street direction. We stopped quite a distance before their car and a man got out the rear right passenger door and pointed a gun at my friend, who was driving the car,” said Da Silva.
“The man [who was] pointing the gun was about 15m away from us and my friend put the car in reverse and got away as fast as he could,” he added.
Da Silva said the vehicle sped off in the opposite direction and no harm was caused. He said there appeared to be three men in the car, two in the back seat and one man driving. The man who pointed the gun was wearing a black cap, which hid his eyes. Da Silva described him as a young, tall man wearing a white hoodie and jeans.
“You never think it’s going to happen to you. It was like the re-enactment of a hijacking that you see on Carte Blanche. I would like to warn the public that South Road is not safe at night. I have spoken to a few people who have told me about hijackings and attempted hijackings on that road.”
He said that Marlboro Drive and South Road are not well-lit at night and there are few cars on the road after 9pm. The incident has not been reported to the police.
UPDATE: Suspect arrested for Bryanston hijacking and murder
Warrant Officer Mmakgomo Semono said that only one incident of hijacking had been reported in South Road, but there have been five armed street robberies over the last six months. Semono urged motorists to be extra vigilant at night as this is the main route to the Gautrain station and OR Tambo Airport.
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