Aqeela Benjamin was left injured after a group of young boys pelted bricks at their car and robbed them in Browns Farm, Philippi.
Image: Supplied
A Cape Town couple who returned from the UK to visit family say they have now fled back abroad after a terrifying brick attack and robbery in Browns Farm, Philippi.
Aqeela Benjamin and her husband, Fariet Benjamin, both social media content creators, were travelling through Cape Town with family last Wednesday when their vehicle came under attack by a group of young assailants near the intersection of New Eisleben and Sheffield Roads.
The couple were on their way to Mitchell’s Plain when traffic congestion diverted them through Nyanga and ultimately into Browns Farm, a known criminal hotspot.
“We were travelling with my mother-in-law and my 14-year-old niece.
"We got stuck in traffic. We saw people driving in through Nyanga, and we thought it would be a good idea to follow,” Aqeela said.
“We also wanted to dodge the traffic. When we got to the robots at New Eisleben and Sheffield Roads, there was a taxi in front of us, and behind was a Toyota Avanza—we were stuck. We couldn't go anywhere.”
That’s when the attack began.
“There were young boys who suddenly appeared and smashed the whole car with bricks. Glass was everywhere.
"One of them shouted, ‘Give me your f**n phone.’ Luckily, I left my other phone back in the UK, and the one I had slipped under my seat,” she said.
The attackers made off with an iPhone Pro Max belonging to Fariet, her niece’s iPhone 14, a power bank, and a portrait.
One attacker appeared confused, shaking the vehicle’s service book—possibly mistaking the vehicle for an e-hailing car, due to its Gauteng registration plate.
Aqeela Benjamin had to get to get stitches after they were robbed in Browns Farm.
Image: Supplied
“I thought I was going to die,” Aqeela said, her voice still trembling.
After fleeing the scene, the traumatised family went to the Delft police station.
There, they were told to first get medical treatment and a J88 form before lodging a formal complaint.
Still in shock, they eventually received assistance at Belhar police station, where a case was opened and later transferred to Philippi East.
The couple say that after posting about the incident online, they were flooded with similar horror stories from locals.
“I have emailed government officials because I want answers about this route. I am now safe in the UK, but what about my brothers and sisters who are still there and not safe?”
The incident has reignited criticism from community leaders over the lack of law enforcement in Browns Farm and similar crime hotspots.
Dumisani Qwebe, secretary-general of the Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF), urged unfamiliar drivers to avoid the New Eisleben, Govan Mbeki, and Sheffield Roads—routes which have seen a spike in robberies and assaults.
“We appeal for everyone to be alert, and when they get stuck in traffic they must immediately turn around. We have been asking SAPS, especially from Philippi East, to assist there because it is their policing area.”
He added that recent infrastructure changes, including new informal taxi ranks along Sheffield Road, are further complicating traffic flow and exposing more motorists to danger.
“Last week, there was another incident like this—the person was around Marcus Garvey at 9pm and she was assaulted,” he said.
Cape Argus