Speeding ‘hijacker’ crash lands on man’s shack in Khayelitsha

Alleged hijackers drove into a shack and ran away on Swartklip road close to Baden Powell drive in Khayelitsha. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers

Alleged hijackers drove into a shack and ran away on Swartklip road close to Baden Powell drive in Khayelitsha. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers

Published Jan 11, 2024

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Cape Town - A man was left injured when a hijacked car crashed-landed on his shack. The 48-year-old man was sleeping in his Khayelitsha home on Wednesday around 2am.

Hours after the incident, shocked residents stood around the shack where the car was on top of the bed.

The white Mercedes-Benz Kompressor coupe which landed on its roof, was driving at a high speed on Swartklip Road in the Harare area.

Neighbour, Lungelo Magada said: “I was woken up by a loud bang, at first I was scared to go out and investigate but then I heard someone screaming.

“I then saw my neighbour’s shack was flattened by the car. My other neighbour was also outside, so went to check where the man was. He was under iron sheets, on his bed.”

He said they removed the sheets and then found him.

“He was screaming loud, so we pulled him from the shack. We managed to lift the car,” Magada explained.

“At the time we pulled him he was able to walk, we called the ambulance and he was taken to the hospital in Lentegeur.

“The alleged hijackers had already fled the scene because there was no one in the car when we looked inside.”

Alleged hijackers drove into a shack and ran away on Swartklip road close to Baden Powell drive in Khayelitsha. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers

He said they had to dismantle the shack and take out the wounded man’s belongings.

“We are keeping his things safe and we hope he will be back soon.”

Magada said this incident has left residents concerned about the lack of traffic control on Swartklip Road.

“Motorists speed when they drive here, back then, before we built shacks along the road, it was kind of understandable, but now we are here.

“They can see that there are shacks here and they still drive at high speed. This is not the first time we have had an incident like this.

“In Tafelsig, a car drove into a shop and in another incident, two children were killed in an accident. On New Year’s Eve a child was killed on the same road. I think the authorities should start looking at installing speed humps or residents will end up digging the road themselves.”

Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said they were aware of the accident but no one has come forward to report anything to them, and are appealing to the vehicle’s owner to come and report the case.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za