“They looked like commuters… then they attacked me”

Platinum Weekly newspaper | Rustenburg – What began as one man’s familiar walk to work became a terrifying fight for his life in Klopper Street on Friday 11 September 2026.

At approximately 05:50, the 51-year-old victim noticed three young men walking behind him, chatting casually. Believing they were also on their way to work, he moved aside to let them pass. Instead, they allegedly pounced on him, pulled out Okapi knives and wrestled him to the ground.

“They told me not to do anything stupid, or they would brutally kill me. They were extremely aggressive, and I was too afraid to look at their faces,” the man, who asked to remain anonymous, recalled.

For R73 in transport money, five bank cards and a wallet, his life was placed at the mercy of three knives. His smart ID card was also taken.

Just as the attackers were about to search him further, a motorist in a red Volkswagen Polo stopped and shouted at them. Although unarmed, the stranger’s brave intervention caused the robbers to release their victim.

After the shaken man pleaded for his ID, the attackers discarded it before fleeing towards the golf course. The motorist then gave him a lift away from the scene.

“That is how my life was spared,” the victim said gratefully.

He did not open a criminal case but obtained an affidavit from Lethabong SAPS to protect himself against possible identity fraud.

The stolen bank cards were reported and replaced.

He appealed for greater police visibility in the area and warned pedestrians not to assume that everyone walking beside them is simply another commuter.