Clip Shows KZN Female Pensioner, 66, Robbed on First ‘Blind’ Date in eThekwini

• An alleged romance scammer is wanted after robbing a pensioner blind on their first date in Durban
• CCTV footage from a Durban North petrol station showed a white Opel Corsa arriving at the forecourt
• The victim could be seen getting ready to climb out before her date allegedly drove off with her valuables

ETHEKWINI — A pensioner seeking love found her man — though far from Mr Right — after she became the victim of a bad date in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

What began as a promising romantic pairing between the 66-year-old and a man she met online ended with the elderly woman allegedly being robbed blind following a first date on Wednesday, 5 February 2025.

Love-sick pensioner duped on date

CCTV from a petrol station north of Durban, posted on the @_ArriveAlive page on X, showed a white Opel Corsa pull up and stop short of the parking.

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The victim appears to be in the passenger seat and, moments later, the door opens as she prepares to disembark. Then, the short clip ends.

Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) officers responded to the scene at about 2.22pm to assist the stranded woman. She informed them that she had been chatting with an unknown man on the dating site Badoo for three months.

They eventually began messaging on WhatsApp after exchanging cellphone numbers. The man reportedly identified himself as a 54-year-old mechanic, Salim, and claimed to run a mechanic workshop in Pinetown.

Reports suggested that on Tuesday night, 4 February, the woman told Salim she needed to withdraw her and her 84-year-old mother's SASSA grants.

He offered to take her to an ATM before their date, picking her up near her home in Durban South the next day. The pair proceeded to Galleria Mall in Amazamtoti, where she withdrew the money.

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Afterwards, Salim suggested an outing to Hazelmere Dam, about 5km from Verulam, and 61km from the mall. They spent three hours at the dam and then decided to go to the petrol station to get food.

On arrival, the woman told him she needed the restroom.

He stopped in the forecourt, as captured on CCTV, telling her he'd park, and she climbed out. However, he drove off after she walked towards the toilets.

The pensioner had left her handbag with R2000 in cash in his car.

The bag, which RUSA officers later recovered without its contents near a casino, also contained her mother’s ID, ATM cards and the woman's cellphone.

They also obtained the CCTV footage and noted the car's license registration.

Salim is suspected to have scammed several other females seeking companionship. A case was opened and a search is underway to find him.

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Women nabbed for robbing Durban pensioner

In related news, Briefly News reported that two women were arrested in Durban for reportedly robbing an elderly man of his belongings.

They were due to appear in court soon following the robbery on Friday, 8 November 2024, in Verulam. One of the women had allegedly met the 73-year-old man on Facebook, arranging to visit him with her accomplice.

Source: Briefly News