“My whole little life was in this bag … That is what drove me. As these guys ran, I know out of the softest voice, I just said, ‘Lord, those are my things. They are not allowed to take my things. They belong to me.’”
These are the words of Sandy-Lee Ward, the driver of a Toyota Tazz, who pursued a robber who stole her handbag and hit him with her car at the Bluff, south of Durban.
In a video posted on TikTok, Ward said she had just been to the bank for a letter of confirmation when she was attacked at the boom gate of a shopping centre.
“I did not draw any copious amounts of money. I had two rand on me … But I had my driver’s licence, my house keys, my ID, my letter of confirmation and my bank card with all my details, and my phone which is held together with sticky tape,” she said.
Ward battled to hold back tears as she explained that her “whole little life” in her handbag and her car were all that she had.
“I just put my foot down. I didn’t even know the boom gate wasn’t opened. I went right through it and I basically hit him so hard that my bag went flying out of his hand and landed on the grass. I just wanted my bag. They were trying to steal my car. They were hitting me.
“I just wanted my belongings back. I hit the man. The bag was lying there. The petrol attendant came running. He picked up the bag and gave it to me and he said to me, ‘Well done, sister — you got one.’” An emotional Ward said she felt justice had been served.
CCTV footage of the incident shows two men approaching her vehicle at a boom gate next to a petrol station on Wednesday.
They open the driver’s door and snatch her bag. Their attempt to steal the car is foiled when another motorist tries to run them over, resulting in the two men fleeing. One jumps into a waiting car, while the other cuts across the petrol station forecourt and heads for the road.
Ward immediately drives after the fleeing suspect. He runs across a centre island and the car hits him. He flies into the air and lands a few metres away.
The Tazz, which leaves the ground for a second as it hits the island, lands safely on the road. The incident occurred in full view of police who were at the petrol station. The man was arrested on scene and appeared in court on Thursday.
Source Timeslive
