Pretoria - Police at Delmas in Mpumalanga said they received a high volume of distress calls after a group of robbers terrorised motorists on the N12, with some motorists robbed.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the incidents happened on Friday night.
“A number of vehicles were damaged after rocks were allegedly used to barricade the road, causing crashes.
“According to the first victim, he hit a rock that was mistaken for an obstacle that might have fallen from other vehicles. When he stopped to fix the damage, he alleged that in the wilderness, a group of about six men armed with firearms approached them,” Mohlala said.
The motorist and other people that were with him in the car were assaulted and robbed of their belongings.
“After the robbery, the victim managed to drive to the nearby filling station to seek assistance.
“Police were summoned to the filling station, and whilst police were rendering assistance to the victim, another call was received,” said Mohlala.
“It is alleged that three taxis en route to Mozambique had a similar problem. The criminals riddled the victims' taxi with a hail of bullets and one commuter was shot in the head.”
Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene and assisted the injured man before transporting him to hospital.
Police officers, using an infra-red drone with the assistance of neighbourhood watch members, tried in vain to locate the assailants.
The team however recovered some of the stolen items left in the bushes.
Meanwhile, the provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, warned motorists to avoid night driving “if there are no emergencies”.
Manamela said “the road will be closely monitored until the suspects are arrested”.
IOL