Ben van Wyk (53) of Nelspruit died on Friday of his injuries after being hijacked and assaulted on July 4, 2015.
Marius Jacobs of Watch Dog Tzaneen, a family member of Van Wyk, confirmed to Maroela Media Van Wyk was hijacked last week by three attackers. “He was hijacked at the second circle outside Nelspruit on the Lydenburg road,” said Jacobs. “The hijackers dragged him in a wooded area to a dilapidated house where they tortured, stabbed and cut him with a sharp object.”
According to Jacobs the suspects took Van Wyk’s bank card and tortured him for the PIN number. One of the suspects stayed with him while the other two left and tried to withdraw money. Van Wyk probably gave the wrong number to his attackers.
“He lost consciousness and woke up on Saturday night and sought for help,” Jacobs added. “The hijackers have since made an accident with the bakkie and one died on Sunday.”
Van Wyk was recovering well during the week in the Rob Ferreira hospital and would have been discharged. However, he had a setback and was moved to the intensive care unit where he died at 22:20.
Van Wyk has three daughters and grandchildren.
Capt. Dawie Pretorius, spokesperson of the Nelspruit police, confirmed the incident to Maroela Media. “We cannot confirm that the deceased suspect was one of the hijackers, but he definitely drove the bakkie. Our investigation will determine whether he was involved in the hijacking.” The police investigation continues.
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