Actor tells of hijack horror
2009-06-03 09:17
Johannesburg – An Egoli actor has told how he was assaulted for two hours after being hijacked outside his home on Sunday, and how he had to interrupt a church service to get help after being set free.
This is the second time that Gert van Schalkwyk, 28 - who has been playing pilot Jacques Mynhardt on the show since March - has been hijacked.
According to police spokesperson Cynthia Magoai, a white Nissan 1400 bakkie parked behind Van Schalkwyk’s silver Toyota RunX in the driveway at his house in Parkview at about 11:00 on Sunday.
A man got out and asked for directions.
"I joked and said my GPS is broken," Van Schalkwyk said.
Man took out gun
The man then took out a 9mm pistol. Another man appeared, grabbed Van Schalkwyk’s keys and forced him into the passenger side of his car, before taking off with him.
Magoai said the bakkie, with another two men inside, drove in front. After getting lost in Melville, they took back roads until they reached Riverlea in the west of Johannesburg. The two vehicles stopped in a park in Riverlea.
Van Schalkwyk said "95% of the conversation" centred on whether his car had a satellite tracking device.
They took his bank cards and forced him to give them his PIN number. The two men in the Nissan bakkie went to draw money while the others waited with him.
“When they realised my daily ATM limit is R1 500, they threatened to keep me there until after midnight, in order to be able to draw more money,” Van Schalkwyk said.
Assaulted for not mentioning money
After one of the men found R200 as well as a friend’s fuel card in his pocket, all hell broke loose because he hadn’t mentioned these.
Van Schalkwyk said he was hit on the back of his head with the pistol and slapped in the face.
While he has no visible injuries, Magoai confirmed he was assaulted, and that one of them apparently threatened to sexually assault Van Schalkwyk.
"I said to him: 'do it, but then give me your pistol because after that I’m going to shoot myself'," said Van Schalkwyk.
The man then apparently hugged him and gave him R20 for a taxi.
"They said I should walk away and not look back."
He walked towards a church about 200m from the park.
"I walked to the front of the church and stopped the service. The entire congregation came outside to help me."
Members of the congregation took him to the Langlaagte police station.
His car, house keys, a Blackberry cellphone, R1 700, clothing and four pairs of sunglasses were stolen.
He is currently living elsewhere, since the hijackers apparently said they'll be watching his house.