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Cape Town - A woman who had just received the good news that she didn't have cancer had her celebratory mood ruined when she and her daughter were attacked on the N2 highway and she found herself driving home with glass shards in her eye.
Anneke van der Vyver and her daughter Rianka, 20, were on their way home on the N2 near the airport off-ramp on Friday, at about 16:00, when two men approached their car.
"When I noticed them for the first time, I told my daughter: 'They are going to cause trouble'," Anneke told Netwerk24.
Anneke then came to a stop in the slow-moving traffic.
"I could see him in my rear view mirror. He was making a beeline for us. I still wanted to check if the doors were locked, when all hell broke loose," she said.
One of the men used a piece of concrete to smash the window on the driver's side.
READ: How to protect yourself from smash and grabs
Covered in blood, glass
"He grabbed everywhere on my lap and chest in search of a cellphone or something else," said Anneke.
Rianka screamed and hit his hands.
"I tried to prevent him from strangling me with the scarf I'd been wearing. When he couldn't find anything, he let go and ran away. There we were, dazed and shocked. Covered in blood and glass," Anneke recalled.
The two then went to a nearby satellite traffic office to ask for assistance with Anneke's bleeding eye.
"The traffic official helped me get most of the glass out of my eye so that we could drive on. When I got out, the piece of concrete fell off my lap. I realised then that it could have been much worse."
Anneke had gone for a mammogram last week Tuesday and was on her way home from the doctor's office on Friday when the incident happened.
"I was so glad they hadn't found any signs of cancer. But the bliksems (bastards) stole my joy."
Drivers warned to be vigilant
She said she'd also been the victim of an armed robbery two years ago, and her children had been victims of a house robbery.
"Now the old fears have resurfaced. We will have to go for counselling again. My daughter, who is a first-year student, has to take tranquillisers with her."
According to the Safe N2 Project - a network of road users who warn each other about incidents along the highway - four similar attacks took place last week.
"We need more law enforcement officers on the N2. According to reports, there is a staff shortage," said the project's Mark Volker.
He warned drivers to be vigilant.
"Always keep valuables in the boot and keep your windows closed in heavy traffic."
The concrete block that was used to smash the window. (Supplied)
