Gqeberha — In a brazen late-night encounter that could have ended in tragedy, a Kwamagxaki, Eastern Cape, man turned the tables on his alleged attackers — and lived to tell the tale.
A 21-year-old suspect is now in custody after what the South African Police Service described as an attempted murder and robbery incident near the Bayland bus depot on Friday night.
According to police, the victim was walking in the area at around 22:00 when he spotted “three males, two of whom are known to him, allegedly robbing people in the area”. What followed was a chilling confrontation.
“One of the suspects approached the complainant, pointed a firearm at him and instructed him to come closer,” police said. When he hesitated, the suspects allegedly escalated the threat: “the suspects allegedly threatened to shoot him.”
He ran. They fired.
The victim was struck by multiple bullets — in the back, shoulder and even the face — but in a twist that reads more like a movie script than a police report, he fought back.
“Despite his injuries, he managed to defend himself by stabbing one of the suspects before escaping,” police confirmed.
The suspects fled the scene in a navy Chevrolet, leaving behind a wounded but alive victim who would later report the incident at the Kwadwesi Community Service Centre before seeking medical care.
Enter the Motherwell Cluster Trio Task Team.
Working through the early hours of Saturday morning, investigators followed up on leads, interviewed persons of interest and pieced together what police described as “positive information, which was operationalised.”
By 01:00, the net had closed.
Further investigations
Officers tracked down and arrested the 21-year-old suspect in Joe Slovo, where he was found in possession of an illegal firearm. Police said the weapon — a Norinco Star pistol — had an empty magazine and a serial number that had been deliberately filed off.
The arrest may be just the beginning.
“Further investigations are underway to determine possible linkages between the suspect and other murder and house robbery cases within the Motherwell policing cluster,” police said.
The suspect is expected to appear in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, facing charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
As for the victim, his survival — and resistance — has added an extraordinary twist to an otherwise grim reminder of the dangers lurking in the city’s streets.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
