A nightmare that saw a 77-year-old woman squashed up in the boot of a car while a robber was driving her car around seems like something out of a horror story.

But, this is no Hollywood story – it happened in the heart of eMalahleni.

In an interview, the woman relived the terrifying night when she lay helpless, praying that she would live to see her children again.

She was in her bedroom on July 22, watching Master Chef, when a man suddenly appeared.

According to the woman, he had a knife and threatened to kill her if she made any sudden moves.

“Everything came to a standstill. I was overwhelmed with fear. He said I must walk, and I asked him if I could put shoes on,” she said.

The man allegedly took the woman’s bankcards and asked for the PIN. He also took her house keys. He then opened the boot of the woman’s Polo and told her to get in, and closed the boot.

“In that confined space, I started praying and remember saying to God, ‘Your will be done’. I could hear my own heart beating and his footsteps as he walked past the car into the house.”

The man went to a nearby ATM and tried to withdraw money from the woman’s account. She had given him the wrong PIN, and after three unsuccessful transactions, her card was blocked.

As there was no noise or footsteps to be heard, the woman said she started screaming, punching, and kicking as hard as she could to attract attention. But no one heard her.

When the man returned from the ATM, he opened the boot and accused her of misleading him, and closed it again.

The robber also had time to make himself something to eat

“The man had all the time to search my home. He even had time to make himself something to eat on my stove. After a while, I heard him come back, loading things onto the backseat,” she said.

With the traumatised woman still in the boot, the man started the car and drove off.

Woman recalls what she called the ‘forever-trip’

“He must have turned left when we got out of the complex because I felt us going over a speed bump. He drove for what feels like forever. The car stopped a few times, and I could hear him offloading things from the back of the car. I was still trying to get attention by screaming from the top of my lungs. No one heard me.”

The woman said she was exhausted, and at one of the ‘drop-off’ points, she could no longer scream.

“He came around, opened the boot slightly, and checked if I was still alive.”

She recalls a stretch of the road she believes was not tarred, and the man stopping and hooting several times, then driving around something.

“I think there were cattle in the road, because he did not switch off the car, and I could feel the car changing direction and driving around something. I kept on yelling, I wanted to go to the toilet.”

She said she could tell the time as she heard a radio presenter announce the time.

“Shortly after that, I heard a garage door opening. To my surprise, he had driven back to my residence, where he opened the boot for me and casually walked out of the complex.”

When she got into her house, she immediately pressed the panic button.

How did the robber gain entry to the house?

The woman thinks the perpetrator gained entry through the Perspex roofing she has covering her bar area.

Escaping physical harm, the woman is urging residents to stay on high alert.

“I am actually very vigilant because this is not the first time thieves disrupted my life. My laptop was stolen out of my bedroom when a man using a steel rod pulled it through an open bedroom window. My cellphone was also stolen before.”

The woman said she is not moving from the complex, but is busy getting cameras installed.

Proactive measures can save your life

Captain Eddie Hall, police spokesperson reminded residents to be on top of their home security.

“Regularly assess your security, identify weak points and pay attention to securing it. Consider reinforced alarm systems and panic buttons,“ he said.

He said residents should always be aware of their surroundings, even within their own homes.

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