He's in a stable condition - doctor after knife removed from cyclist's skull

A Cape Town cyclist, who was attacked and then rode to his doctor while a knife was lodged in his skull, has had the sharp instrument removed and is in a stable condition, it emerged on Thursday.

Shaun Wayne had been cycling to the sushi restaurant, where he works, in Strand on Monday when thugs attacked him and stabbed him in the head.

It is understood that he managed to fight off the attackers and flee on his bicycle.

His local GP, Dr Brendan Venter, told News24 that Wayne underwent surgery to have the knife removed, but that the extent of the damage was not clear.

"Blood vessels were affected."

He said Wayne was in very good hands at Tygerberg Hospital.

Hospital spokesperson Laticia Pienaar confirmed he was in a stable condition on Thursday.

'Everyone was flabbergasted'

Wayne worked a few metres away from Venter and had cycled to the medical practice in his injured state.

"He knew there would be somebody there to help him."

A senior doctor gave him one look, made sure he was not bleeding, and decided to rush him to hospital in her car instead of waiting for an ambulance. He was then transferred to Tygerberg Hospital.

While Venter was not there at the time, he said Wayne's visit this week topped anything they had seen before.

"We had two previous times [when staff were this shaken up]... when Bryan Habana came in and when Leon Schuster came in. But this tops it. Everyone was flabbergasted!" 

Friend Carl Block commented on social media that Wayne was an "amazing person".

"I know him for five years now I was in tears all night, could not sleep," he said.

Former South African cycling champion Wimpie van der Merwe posted the photos of Wayne while the knife was still in his head, and an X-ray of his skull on Facebook. 

He shared that he was attacked in the same spot while with his cycling partner last week.

Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana, confirmed they were investigating the incident and that no arrests were made.

An X-ray showing the knife lodged into Wayne's skull (Facebook/Wimpie van der Merwe)