"So Scary": Joburg Woman Shares Gunpoint Robbery Ordeal, Warns Drivers to Hide Phones and Jewellery
- A Joburg woman shared how she was robbed at gunpoint while stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic at a robot in broad daylight
- The robber took her engagement ring, which contained melted gold from her mother, father, and grandmother, as well as her phone
- She posted the video to warn other women about staying alert on the road, sparking an outpouring of support from South Africans
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A Johannesburg woman found herself staring down the barrel of a gun while sitting at a red traffic light on an ordinary afternoon. The TikTokker posted a raw, selfie-style video on 2 October 2026 recounting the ordeal, and it hit a nerve across South Africa.
Source: UGC
She described being completely hemmed in, with cars on both sides and behind her, when a man appeared at her window. She assumed he was asking for food or money and ignored the first knock. When she looked up after the second, a gun was pointed directly at her head. She said:
"I looked in front of me, and I saw there was a truck in front of me. Those were the only two options. Is my life worth a cell phone?"
She lowered her window slightly and handed over her phone, which she had been wearing on a body harness after her previous one broke. He then demanded her engagement ring, a piece that carried melted gold from her mother, father, and grandmother. She said:
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"I can't even be sad that my engagement ring that's got like family gold in it is gone. Because I must just be grateful to be alive."
The creator @princesspaigeyy._ drove straight to the police station to report the incident and was told she was the second victim that day in the same spot. There were no warning posters, no cameras, and no officers were stationed in the area. Her fiancé went with the police to track the phone, and location data showed the suspect spent over an hour at a jewellery store in town. When authorities visited the store, staff denied any knowledge of a ring. The phone later appeared to have been moved to India, where its signal placed it at a rehabilitation centre.
What stayed with her most was the reaction from people around her afterwards. Many told her she should have had a fake phone or a fake ring ready. Others told her to simply be grateful she was alive. She ended the video with a direct warning to other women: hide your phone, remove your jewellery before driving, and do not assume that closed windows will protect you. Watch her account of the robbery below:
SA supports woman after robbery
Women across Mzansi flooded the comments with their own fears and words of support:
@Jodie wrote:
"It's absolutely INSANE that as women we have to be 'thankful' that 'something worse didn't happen' like being raped or killed, etc. You are absolutely allowed to be sad and scared. I'm sorry you went through this and lost valuable things."
@The Lawyer Lady ⚖️ said:
"I can't understand why law enforcement is not removing people from the robots. Sorry that this happened to you!"
@Naledi S 🧚🏽♀️ shared:
"As a woman in South Africa, I hate being outside. I hate driving. I just hate leaving my house. I NEVER feel safe. I'm so sorry, mama."
@Blue added:
"I've been hijacked 4 times, and each time was traumatic. Each time was also different. A different modus operandi, but eventually a survival instinct came through and I fought back in the safest way I could, and I benefited and survived."
@Angiiiiiieeeeee105 wrote:
"This happened to me the other day; he showed me his gun at my window, but I just said no, which was stupid of me because I couldn't drive anywhere. Afterwards I had a breakdown. So scary."
@213 🇵🇸 🇿🇦 said:
"I'm all for telling people they're irresponsible, but girl, you were responsible. What do they mean, have a fake phone and ring? Would he just take the fake and the real? You're not the problem here."
@anez wrote:
"It's not the point of 'should've' or 'could've'... the point is we should never need to worry about this. I'm so sorry."
Other Briefly News stories about public transport robberies
- CCTV footage shared on social media captured a conductor jumping out of a moving minibus taxi in Belhar to snatch a woman's phone off the street.
- A South African woman took to TikTok to detail a harrowing experience where she was robbed while using public taxi transport in Pretoria.
- Dashcam footage circulating online captured the moment a female e-hailing driver was targeted and robbed by two men who entered her vehicle following a ride request.
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Source: Briefly News
