Lurking night stalkers
Durban motorists at the mercy of...
DRIVING after dark in Durban has become a matter of life and death, as night stalkers lay traps in the road to cause drivers to crash.
On the South Coast, motorists travelling late at night have been warned against criminals allegedly following them in the hopes of stealing their cars.
In eThekwini metro a nightmare pattern has emerged at the Croftdene off-ramp, the main road into Chatsworth CBD, where victims have crashed down the embankments after hitting objects deliberately placed in the road. These include boulders, light poles and trash bags.
In the latest incident, criminals have run into the road to cause an accident.
Shane Madaray, 28, came out of hospital this week after a horrifying ordeal two weeks ago, when he crashed over the embankment at the off-ramp.
“My friend, Marlin, and I decided to go fishing, so we headed out in the early hours of the morning and there was very little traffic on the road.
“There’s no lighting in that area and as we came down the road, I hit a pole which was lying across the road. It was not something you expect. I hit the barrier and I felt the car flipping, but I couldn’t see anything. As soon as the car stopped, I felt hands going into my pockets and they took my phone and cash.
“There was a guy trying to take my shoes off, so he pulled me out of the car and took my shoes and belt.
“I remember the police arriving. I gave them my brother’s number and passed out. The next thing I remember is waking up in hospital,” said Shane.
His older brother, Shiltom, was called to the scene and was shocked at what followed. Part of his brother’s car hung in a tree at the top of the embankment.
“I saw all the emergency vehicles when I got there. Shane had already been taken to hospital. I saw the car had flown over the shacks and landed at the bottom.
“The people gathering there didn’t want us to take the car, saying it belonged to them.
“It was too steep for a tow truck to get the vehicle out and so we had to call a crane. At that stage, I could only think about Shane, I was so shocked. By the time the crane got there, the car had been stripped, there was just a shell left,” said Shiltom.
Shane suffered head injuries, swelling on the brain, a broken shoulder and arm, a cracked spine, and his ribs punctured his lungs. His friend, Marlin Pillay, who had been dragged 100m from the crashed vehicle, remains in a coma in hospital.
Chairperson of Chatsworth CPF Jakes Singh said what appeared to be random crashes over a couple of months, soon started revealing a pattern.
The Chatsworth CPF has 12 sub-forums which all share communications and it became apparent that the spate of accidents, on the Croftdene offramp and along Link Road, were being deliberately caused by criminals intent on robbing injured victims.
“There have been 10 or more incidents. We are urging residents to avoid using Link Road after dark. As cars come over the hill, it is very dark because the street lights are not working and there are different objects placed in the road, from boulders to bin bags.
“There have been other victims, besides these two young guys,” said Singh, adding that one woman broke both legs after hitting objects in the road and criminals tore an ankle bracelet from her broken leg, while another family of four were seriously injured after their vehicle landed on its roof.
CPF members from across Chatsworth, along with SAPS, metro and local security companies joined forces and patrols now take place every night. Any objects blocking the road are removed.
Sham Dhanpaul, from Moorton and Crossmoor CPF, said: “The strategy seems to have changed now that we are removing objects. They are hiding behind the barrier, jump in the road, pull back and then go again, causing the vehicle approaching to crash,” said Dhanpaul.
CPF patrollers start about 8pm and work until the early hours of the morning.
Last week, 60 vehicles from CPF members to local SAPS, Metro and security companies gathered in a show of force.
“We would welcome more volunteers,” said Singh.
Meanwhile, a Facebook post earlier this week created alarm on the South Coast.
Durban student, Preneshni Naicker’s Facebook post was shared more than 2 000 times, detailing an encounter she and her mother experienced while travelling from the Wild Coast towards Durban last weekend.
“Hi guys, if anyone is travelling to south coast, particularly to the Wild Coast/Southbroom area, please be extremely vigilant and alert at all times. Last night at about 2am/3am, a group of guys tried to take us off the road, they appeared from nowhere,” she wrote.
Naicker said the mysterious vehicle continuously flashed its lights at them.
“We figured they were up to something, we picked up speed and they were still on our tail. We were taking bends at the speed of 160-180km/h and driving into oncoming traffic yet they still continued to chase us,” she said.
Naicker said the pursuit went all the way to the Margate police station, where the car then disappeared.
“They are in a white sedan. They had no number plates and we weren’t close enough to identify what car it actually was. Police confirmed there were numerous reports of the same type of thing with the same car at the same hour,” said Naicker.
The post received criticism for being fake but Naicker defended her version of events. KZN SAPS said no case was reported.