Two cyclists were targeted in a manic attack this week, after a disagreement with a motorist lead to scenes of abject chaos in Stellenbosch.
A serious case of road rage unfolded on the popular Jonkershoek cycling route near Stellenbosch this week. Brendon Jacobs and his buddy Jandre du Raan were taking a casual spin on Sunday morning, but the peace was shattered when a dispute with a driver turned violent.
Jandre, whose bike hit a pothole and needed to be inspected, pulled over at the side of the road. However, this move angered a man behind the wheel of a blue Toyota in the same lane, who began hooting and aggressively shouting at the pair.
After verbals were exchanged, the car swung round and attempted to knock both the lads off their bikes. It was at this point Brendon decided to start recording the incident, and he again captured the vehicle trying to smash into them.
However, their ordeal wasn’t over at this point. According to the cyclist, the aggressor then piled out the car with four others, who proceeded to attack their targets with rocks and a large stick. As Brendon describes, the traumatic incident did some serious damage:
“I got a blow on my back from the stick by the man with the blue car. There was a couple that witnessed everything and escorted us to SAPS. They are very willing to cooperate with SAPS.”
“This could have been murder if you look at the vid. Both Jandre and I visited the hospital, other than severe head injuries, as the suspect used a rock to hit Jandre, and some deep tissue scars on my back, we are thankfully OK but severely traumatised.”
Brendon Jacobs
What happens next?
The roughed-up rider confirmed that they’ve escalated this further than the police, too: Their complaints have been taken to the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Community Safety Alan Winde, and they’ve registered the Stellenbosch incident with Pedal Power Association.
As one could imagine, Brendon is hoping for a speedy resolution to this harrowing situation. He states that cyclists are “defenceless” against thuggish attacks like these and the authorities need to assure cyclists that they will be safe if they choose to ride on the Jonkershoek route again.
