Expat tells of horror ordeal
2009-12-24 07:21
Hermanus - "My worst fear was that they'd slit my throat or rape my wife," said expat Martin Stern from his hospital bed at the Hermanus Medi-Clinic on Wednesday.
He and his wife Janet, 57, were attacked and robbed by two men in the Fernkloof nature reserve in Hermanus on Tuesday.
Visitors to the reserve were warned to be extremely careful, since it's difficult to patrol the "enormously large" reserve.
The 59-year-old Stern, who now lives in Canada, said they'd left to go hiking before 07:00 and didn't suspect a thing when they walked past the two men. However, the men turned on the couple.
"They had terrifying knives - almost like hunting knives," said Stern.
He was stabbed in the wrist and in his back. His wife was also stabbed twice. They were thrown to the ground, where the men threw rocks at the couple.
The attackers tied their hands and feet with their own shoelaces, and robbed them of a camera and a wedding ring, among other things.
"My wife kept asking: 'Would you treat your mother like this?'
"We're Jews and she told me in Hebrew: 'We must pray that God help us.' Then they simply took off."
The Sterns, who'd both lost quite a lot of blood by that stage, realised they needed to get help. They managed to wiggle themselves out of their restraints and encouraged each other to carry on.
About two hours after the attack, they encountered the Joubert family from Bloemfontein.
"They were amazing. They wiped our faces, gave us water and tried to stop the bleeding."
Pieter Joubert also called emergency services. Stern was full of praise for the rescue services and paramedics.
"My blood pressure was very low when the paramedic examined me. If I was left on my own, I wouldn't have made it," said Stern.
The Sterns, who used to live in Cape Town but emigrated to Canada in 1986, said their daughters, who live abroad, were very upset when they heard about the attack.
"For many tourists abroad, crime is one of the great concerns when they travel to South Africa. We adore Hermanus and would love to come back, but if you don't have a good reason to choose South Africa as your holiday destination, there are many other places you could go."
Stern said visitors should be clearly warned when they want to go hiking in Fernkloof.