DURBAN - A man believed to be a metered-taxi driver from KwaMashu was allegedly robbed by clients, stuffed into the boot of his Toyota Corolla and left in Phoenix, north of Durban, on Tuesday.
According to a member of the Towerbridge Neighbourhood Watch in Phoenix, residents walking to work in the morning heard banging noises and shouts for help coming from a car parked on the side of the road.
Another resident, who was preparing for work, said he could hear a noise similar to that of someone knocking on a door but did not think anything of it as he could not see anyone at his or his neighbour’s door.
The neighbourhood watch member said when he went to the car he heard the man shout for help. He found the car doors unlocked. He used a rag to open a door and then pulled the latch to open the boot.
He found the driver of the car disorientated and had to calm him down.
“He said he was a resident of Ntuzuma who was robbed by the clients he picked up in KwaMashu. They had taken his wallet and cellphone. His car keys were found in a garden along the pavement. He was in the car boot for an hour. The car collided with something because the bumper was damaged. He said he was not hurt or injured.”
The neighbourhood watch member said crime was so much a part of life that nothing shocked the community anymore.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala said Phoenix police attended the scene and a case of hijacking was opened at the Ntuzuma SAPS.
According to Gwala, the victim said he was hijacked in Ntuzuma and placed in the boot after he was robbed.
“He was left in the boot of the vehicle by the hijackers and was rescued by a passer-by.”
The victim could not be traced for comment.
Daily News