Durban - A truck driver has been hailed a hero after he intervened in a smash-and-grab incident off the Durban esplanade, near the Margaret Mncadi Avenue (Victoria Embankment).
The 26-year-old truck driver managed to wedge his truck between the suspect and the car he was trying to rob until police arrived.
The incident took place on August 10.
He said he was travelling on the M4 slipway and was about to join Victoria Embankment when he noticed a man coming from Albert Park armed with a blade.
He said he saw this man approach a white vehicle next to him and quickly realised what was happening.
The area is known for smash and grabs.
He said the man smashed the window of the car and threatened the occupants, two women, pushing himself into the car.
The truck driver said he believed the women’s lives were in danger and turned his truck towards the vehicle to jam the suspect in.
The two woman said they were grateful for the truck driver’s intervention and described him as a hero.
The driver said they had been heading back to work at around 1pm and had been parked at the traffic lights when the suspect approached her window and used the blade to break the glass.
“He then put the half of his body into the car and threatened the both of us with a knife.”
She said he then took a cellphone.
She said when the truck driver jammed the guy in, they jumped out of the car and waited for the police.
Siyabonga Freedom Bhengu, 32, was arrested and charged.
He appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court and was denied bail.
In another incident, in December 2021, Bluff resident Louise Noble was driving home from work with her 32-year-old daughter and her children, aged 5 and 5 months, when she was attacked by three men who smashed her car window and removed a gold chain from her neck.
Noble told the Daily News that no one came to their assistance during the attack.
“It was a terrible situation, with no one to help. We screamed for help and the thugs ran away and vanished under the bridge with my chain.”
This week metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Geraldine Stevens, speaking about the smash and grabs taking place at the M4 bridge, Moore Road and Victoria Embankment, said metro police had increased their deployment during peak traffic hours.
“What we did find is that there is an exodus of foreign nationals living on the railway tracks and it is very difficult to make arrests because they run over the tracks and it’s difficult to apprehend them.
“We are exploring other crime-prevention initiative.”
SAPS said they were doing regular patrols and ensuring high visibility during peak hours.
“We are also working with the local community through sector policing to bring safety awareness in the area. We have also increased our roadblocks in the area, especially on Thursdays, Fridays and weekends,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala.
IOL