NATIONAL NEWS - A woman from Kempton Park had the fright of her life after an unknown man, who approached her at a shopping centre, followed her on her way home until she eventually drove to the police station for help.
The woman says that while the ordeal was happening, several questions ran through her mind.
“I kept on asking myself ‘Why is he following me? Does he want to kidnap me? Does he want to rob me? Hijack me?’”
She told the Kempton Express about what happened that day and how the fear for her life and safety increased as events unfolded.
“I finished work a bit late one evening and headed over to a local shopping centre in Norkem Park to get grocery items. As I walked in, I was approached by a man who claimed to know me from ‘somewhere’.
“I just thought it was a lame pickup line until he mentioned Pretoria and it got my attention as I used to live in Pretoria. However, when he mentioned places in Pretoria that I did not frequent I knew that he was lying.”
She says the man followed her inside a grocery store.
“I told him he had mistaken me for someone else and that we didn’t know each other and that is when he proceeded with asking for my name, where I am from and more,” she explains.
“He said he would like to get to know me better, but I told him that I wasn’t interested and didn’t answer any of the questions he asked me. I proceeded with my shopping and blatantly ignored him, but he kept on following me around the store all the while asking me questions.
“I had to be stern and tell him to leave me alone, which attracted the attention of other shoppers in our aisle. It was enough for him to leave. I continued with my shopping and headed for the tills.
“As soon as I paid, I rushed to my car. It was to my surprise that I heard his voice as soon as I finished packing the groceries in my boot.
“He continued to ask for my work telephone number or for my work address claiming to want to send me flowers or lunch at my work.
“Out of nowhere, he told me that he wants to start a business with me. I knew that this man was up to no good and told him to leave me alone or else I would call security. Now that I think about it, I should have.”
She says she was worried because at that point the man had seen her car and she wondered if he would follow her.
“I sat inside my car and waited. Why was this man so persistent? I was not comfortable with him knowing my car and that I was travelling alone.
“I then watched to see the kind of car he was driving and the license plate. I waited, hoping he would leave before me, but he didn’t. Eventually, I started my car and left.”
Her fears materialised as the man followed her when she exited the shopping centre.
“I could see his car and thought I was paranoid at first. I decided to check my theory and drove to a petrol station.
I parked my car and I saw his car also enter the petrol station. I went inside the convenience store pretending not to see his vehicle.
“When I left his car was still there. When I drove off he also drove in the same direction as me. At this stage I was very sure that he was following me.
“I decided not to go straight home as I didn’t know his intentions and made calls to some of my family members alerting them about the man.
“I made a few other turns to hopefully lose him but he was still on my heels. I drove faster and drove to the nearest police station.
“At this stage, I could see that he was a few cars behind me but as soon as I increased my speed, I saw him overtaking the cars in front of him.
“What did he want? Is he working with others? I arrived at the police station and ran inside. I saw a car that looked like his enter the same parking area.
“I retold the story to the officers and informed them that I suspect he followed me to the police station.
“Two male officers accompanied me outside to see if the car was still outside and it was. They then went to the car and found him sitting inside.
“When he was confronted, he first tried to deny ever meeting me until he confessed to having spoken to me.
“He told the officers that he didn’t pose any danger to my life. He was very anxious and constantly looked at his phone. He even got defensive.”
According to Palesa, police gave him a warning and told him he would get arrested should he follow her again.
“Police escorted me home. I was happy to arrive home safely though I can’t stop asking myself what his intentions were and what would have happened had I not taken note of his car and the license plate.
“What if I didn’t see that he was following me?”
The woman says that with all the hijackings, rape and human trafficking happening, she felt she had to warn other women.
“Be extra careful. Most of these perpetrators don’t even look dangerous and they use different tactics to lure you in.”
She warned women to be aware of their surroundings and to take note of people and cars around them.
“If you suspect you are being followed, don’t drive straight to your home no matter how close you are. Rather go to the nearest police station or public place where you can call for help. Try and inform your family or friends.”
