AN engaged couple who managed to escape the clutches of a gunman during a violent attempted hijacking in September 2015, came face-to-face with their accused attacker at the eSikhawini Regional Court last Wednesday.
Both victims took the stand and identified Nkosiyethu Sibiya (28) as the man who terrorised and assaulted them outside Aquafresh tuck shop in eSikhaleni.
Sipho Tembe and Zodwa Hlengiwe Ndlazi told the court how their trip to the tuck shop almost turned deadly when the accused attacked them at gunpoint.
According to Ndlanzi, the pair stopped at the shop to buy bread at 8pm.
She told the court she left her fiancé in the car and when she returned she had the shock of her life when she was confronted by the firearm-wielding man..
‘He started hitting me. I started screaming and then I heard a car window breaking as the two men wrestled for possession of the gun,’ Ndlazi said.
She told the court she managed to escape the scene and ran into nearby cottages.
‘I went into one of the houses and hid under a bed while making a phone call. I was scared for myself and for my fiancée because I didn’t know what had happened after I left.’
The suspect was later detained and charged with hijacking and being in a possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Even though, according to witnesses, gunshots were fired by the attacker, he was not charged with attempted murder.
The suspect will remain in custody until his next appearance on Wednesday, 22 February.
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