"Glad You're Alive": Cape Town Man Recounts Being Stabbed in Terrifying Street Robbery, SA Reacts

• Levi Temlett shared a video recounting how three attackers stabbed him on a Cape Town street after a night out with a friend
• The attackers surrounded him after using a greeter as a decoy, leaving him with wounds to his spleen, large intestine and lung
• His friend ran but looped back to create a distraction, which gave him a brief window to break free and escape

Levi Temlett has gone public with a chilling account of being stabbed and robbed on a Cape Town street, revealing that the attack left him in ICU for a week after damaging three internal organs.

In a two-part Instagram video posted on 9 October 2026, Temlett described how the night began ordinarily enough: a few beers and dinner out with a friend. It was while walking back, around 11 pm, that things turned violent.

He recalled noticing a man walking past them and feeling briefly uneasy, only to shake off the suspicion. Moments later, a second man appeared ahead, seemingly minding his own business. That man then flicked open a knife and sprinted towards them, demanding everything they had and threatening to kill them.

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Trapped against a wall in Cape Town

What unfolded next was coordinated. The first man who had greeted them grabbed Temlett from behind, while a third pinned him against a wall. Before he could say anything, the knife was already moving.

Temlett said he felt the blade repeatedly and was wrestled to the ground. His phone, jewellery and other belongings were stripped from him while he lay on his back trying to make sense of what was happening.

His friend had run across the road but came back around, shouting at the attackers to get off him. In that moment of distraction, Temlett managed to punch his attacker, pull free and get to his feet. As he ran, the attacker grabbed his jacket and swung once more, but the knife missed.

ICU stay after emergency surgery

It was only when he looked down and saw his white shirt soaked in blood that the reality began to set in. Temlett told his friend he was fine and initially thought calling an ambulance was an overreaction.

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At the scene, a paramedic lifted his shirt and quietly told him they were worried about his organs. That was the moment, he said, that it truly hit him. He was rushed to hospital, where surgeons found damage to his spleen, large intestine and lung. He spent the following week in the ICU.

View the Instagram video below:

Mzansi reacts to Cape Town stabbing story

Viewers were deeply shaken by Temlett's story and flooded the comments on his page with messages of relief and support:

@king_daku_:

"I am so sorry 💔"

@itskeegswillis:

"Bro 😭 praise God you're okay 🙌❤"

@thangam1012:

"Glad that you are alive 🙏🏾 So sorry that you went through this."

@moekets.ee:

"That's terrible bro 😢💔 Glad you made it out alive. I hope you're recovering well 🙏🏿"

@levi.temlett:

"Definitely thankful to The Lord!"

More Briefly News stories on ordeals

• Sam Wright's viral account of an aggressive man at a Fourways intersection reveals years of harassment, as women drivers share similar fears on social media.
• Two women say they were detained at Okio Club in Sandton, taken to a Centurion home and threatened. Their account, police case and club’s CCTV response are detailed here.
• A Johannesburg woman was robbed at gunpoint in traffic, losing her phone and a family-gold engagement ring; her warning sparks support across South Africa.

Source: Briefly News