South Africa’s Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, while speaking at a parliamentary committee, recalled the ordeal when she was robbed at gunpoint after her vehicle had to be stopped on a highway for changing a burst tyre.
Chikunga said that a gun was pointed at her head by one of the masked attackers during the robbery which occurred early on Monday (November 6).
She added that the attackers took away a phone, some laptops, and the weapons of her bodyguards.
For a long time, South Africa has been seeing an increase in crime levels, which includes smash-and-grabs, kidnappings and car hijackings.
However, it was a very unusual incident when a government minister, who was accompanied by armed bodyguards, was robbed.
“I’m in one piece, but the whole experience was very traumatising,” said Chikunga, while speaking to the MPs.
She stated that at 03:30 local time on Monday (Nov 6) the minister’s bodyguards got out of the car for changing a burst tyre. They had been travelling on a main road south of Johannesburg.
At that very moment, the robbers approached the car forced the bodyguards onto the floor and then opened the door of the car. “They pointed a gun at my head and ordered me to come out,” Chikunga stated.
The robbers demanded money, but the minister informed them that she was not carrying any cash with her. They then thoroughly searched the car and took away whatever they could get.