South Africa’s Transport Minister and bodyguards robbed at gunpoint

South Africa’s transport minister and her bodyguards were robbed at gunpoint on Monday, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga was travelling on the N3 highway between Vosloorus and Heidelberg, south of Johannesburg, on Monday when the incident took place, police said.

Recounting the incident to MPs during a parliamentary committee hearing on Tuesday, the minister said the “whole experience was very traumatizing and devastating.”

Chikunga said it happened at around 3.30am local time after the car she was traveling in suffered a puncture. She was inside the car while her bodyguards changed the tire. When she looked out of the window, she saw people with a gun “pointing at the protectors.”

Chikunga said she tried to pull out her phone to call for help but “before I could do anything they opened the door and pointed a fire gun at my head.”

Three well-dressed men ordered her to get out of the car and then asked for money, she recalled.

She said they searched her bodyguards and tried to take her ring, but she said no because it is “the only thing I have between my late husband and myself.”

SAPS said two police service pistols and personal belongings were stolen during the robbery. A manhunt has been launched following the incident and the victims are receiving support and counseling, SAPS said.

South Africa has long grappled with gun violence, with several mass shootings reported this year. The country also has one of the world’s highest murder rates, according to local police data.

In April, 10 people including a 13-year-old boy were killed by gunmen in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The victims were members of the same family.