Woman critical sustains gunshot wounds hijacking incident, Roodepoort

An elderly woman is in a critical condition after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

It alleged the woman was shot during an attempted hijacking in the driveway of her house on Wonderboom road and corner Thorn street in Weltevredenpark in Roodepoort.

The exact detail as to what happened will remain a subject for police investigation and comment.

Netcare911 paramedics stabilised the woman on the scene before transporting her to a nearby hospital for further medical care.

Our paramedics worked alongside paramedics from another emergency service on scene.

This incident happened this afternoon at 12h40.

This is the second hijacking incident Netcare911 paramedics have responded to, today.

Earlier on, a man believed to be in his fifties sustained multiple gunshot wounds when he was hijacked in the driveway of his home in Boksburg.

Reports from the scene indicate that the incident happened on Blinkblaar Street in Van Dyk Park.

The exact detail as to what happened will form part of a SAPS investigation and comment.

The man who is in a serious condition was stabilised on scene and thereafter transported to a nearby hospital under the constant care of a Netcare911 Advanced Life Support Paramedic.

This incident happened this morning at 06h00.

Netcare911 would like to advise all motorists to be extra vigilant of their surroundings.

Below are tips from Arrive Alive on how to avoid a hijacking:

Approaching and entering your driveway:

• 2km from your house strategy. Be extra alert. Switch off the car radio and concentrate on your surroundings. If you have noticed any vehicle behind you, use the techniques you have learned during the hijack prevention & survival course to determine whether you are being followed.
• Remember to stop your vehicle just on the inside of the gate and select reverse whilst waiting for the gate to close. This creates confusion and may buy you a few seconds for the gate to close completely behind you.
• Check your driveway and street before you leave or enter your premises.
• Make sure your driveway is well lit and clear from shrubbery where perpetrators can hide.
• Be aware of unknown pedestrians close to your residential address – do not turn into your driveway – pass and go back later.
• Liaise with your neighbours – know them.
• Be aware of vehicles parked close to your address with occupants inside. It might be perpetrators observing the area.
• Be alert if your animals do not greet you at the gate as usual. It might be that the perpetrators over-powered them.
• Phone your home and ask for someone to make sure your driveway is safe and to open and close the gate for you.
• When returning home after dark, ensure that an outside light is on, or have someone meet you at the gate. Check with your armed response company if they are rendering rendezvous services.
• If at any time you have to open the gate yourself, make sure nobody suspicious around and the road is clear. Stop right in front of your gate. Do not switch off the vehicle, leave the key in the ignition, get out and close the door (not creating temptation). Then open the gate. Drive in and close the gate immediately behind you.
• If you have small children in the vehicle, take the key with you (this is the only exception). You need the key as a “negotiating tool”. The perpetrators want your vehicle and you want your children.
• If your children are older, it is advised that they exit the vehicle with you when opening the gate so that you are all separated from the vehicle should an attack occur.