“I have been through a lot in my life, and never been scared. But on Monday 11 August I was absolutely terrified!” These were the words of 47 year old Hannes Hangenmann, the Sedgefielder who was robbed by men brandishing firearms.
When we chatted with him the following day, he had recovered enough to smile, and even crack a joke – but he was understandably still more than a little shaken by his ordeal.
Hannes said he had popped into the village at around 11am to see a friend, and was on his way back, travelling down the Northern service road just past The EDGE offices when his phone rang. He pulled over to park on an open piece of grass at an intersection and took the call. But on checking his rearview mirror he saw a white double-cab Nissan bakkie turn in and stop right next to him. Instinctively Hannes dropped his phone between the seats as two of the four men in the vehicle sprang out and rushed to either side of his Fiat Palio.
Before he could move, one of the men thrust a pistol against his head. The other banged on the passenger door window with his gun, demanding Hannes open it.
When he did, the man climbed in and demanded money. Fortunately, Hannes had quite a bit of cash in his ashtray, which he immediately handed over.
“I don’t know what made me do it, but I told them they were welcome to my car, but would need to put in fuel if they wanted to get to Knysna,” he told us.
Amazingly, this saved him the loss of his vehicle. The men climbed out and drove off in their bakkie, leaving him shell-shocked, but alive and unharmed.
After sitting in a daze for about 10 to 15 minutes (he can’t recall that time at all) Hannes drove across the N2 to the Sedgefield SAPS station and reported the crime. Fortunately, he had managed to recall part of the registration number of the Nissan.
He says the team at the station were absolutely amazing, with members from different departments meticulously recording every detail and the station quickly became a hive of activity, with his case getting top priority.
“I have heard people say negative things about SAPS, but I must say that they were excellent – and very thorough in everything they did.”
No details of the investigation progress were available from SAPS Communications Office at the time of going to press, but according to Mike Hofhuis of COP, footage from CCTV cameras in the area is being thoroughly checked for signs of the Nissan.