An Ottery mom and her friend are lucky to be alive after they were kidnapped and attacked in broad daylight by men posing as taxi drivers in Woodstock.
The 38-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, says she has been left with multiple injuries after the horrific ordeal on November 3.
She says: “It was just after 12pm and my friend and I boarded a taxi outside Capitec Bank. The gaatjie was shouting Wynberg and we were going in the direction of Observatory and we got in.”
She says as they neared their stop on the busy road, a man seated behind her friend took out a metal rod and started choking her.
“I screamed at a man standing on the pavement because the gaatjie pulled out a knife and said: ‘Don’t say anything’.
“He refused to open the door and that is when I started fighting with him. The taxi driver drove down one of the streets.
“They beat us with the metal rod and the gaatjie kept putting his hands between my legs and said ‘mmm’.”
The brave vrou then pretended to have an asthma attack and as she reached for her pompie, she managed to jump out and flag down motorists.
She says: “I shouted that they have my friend, and guys in a Toyota Corolla chased after them. They got them and beat them up and smashed the taxi. Inside they found other women’s handbags along with tik and Mandrax.”
She says the attackers were found to be from Kensington.
Police spokesperson, FC van Wyk, confirms a case of robbery was opened at Woodstock SAPS. FC says: “Three suspects aged 30, 37 and 41 respectively were arrested. They appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on a charge of aggravated robbery.”
But the traumatised mom says this was no robbery: “This was kidnapping.”