South Africa’s transport minister has described how she was robbed at gunpoint after her vehicle stopped on a highway to change a burst tyre.
Sindisiwe Chikunga told a parliamentary committee that one of the masked attackers pointed a gun at her head during the ordeal early on Monday.
They stole some laptops, a phone and her bodyguards’ weapons, she said.
South Africa has long faced high crime levels, including hijackings, kidnappings and smash-and-grabs, but it is unusual for a government minister travelling with armed bodyguards to be robbed.
“I’m in one piece, but the whole experience was very traumatising,” Chikunga told members of parliament.
She said her bodyguards got out of the car to replace a burst tyre at 03h30 on Monday.
That was when the robbers approached, forcing the bodyguards to the ground, and then opening the car door.
“They pointed a gun at my head and ordered me to get out,” Chikunga said.
They demanded money, but she explained that she did not have any cash on her.
They then searched the vehicle, taking what they could find.
Still threatening her with their guns, the robbers also tried to take the minister’s ring, but she told them: “This is the only thing I have between my late husband and myself. I value it so much.”
At one point the minister started praying, but was told to keep quiet.
“We are fine, we are healthy, we are alive. It was a horrible experience, but God had mercy on us,” Chikunga told parliamentarians.
The police have confirmed that the robbery took place and “a manhunt has since been launched, following this unprecedented incident”, AFP reports, quoting police spokesperson brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
Referring to a common method that criminals use, the ministry of transport said the tyres of the car “were punctured by spikes [placed on the road], bringing the car to a stop and enabling the criminals to rob the occupants of their valuables”.
The two bodyguards have been placed on leave “until [they are] fit and proper to return to their posts”, Mathe is quoted by News24 as saying.
“Steps are underway to determine what transpired as far as VIP protection protocols are concerned,” she said.
In the latest annual survey, nearly 1,3 million people said they had been victims of property crime, which amounts to almost 3% of South Africa’s population.
The proliferation of small arms is also a big issue in South Africa.
Guns have been used in more than 66 000 of the recorded home robberies. – BBC
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