Durban taxi owner lucky to be alive after bush knife attack

Durban bushknife attack

The damage done to an e-hailing vehicle when its owner was attacked in Durban. The man sustained three slash wounds to his body.

Image: Farad Razak

A Durban private e-hailing taxi owner is lucky to be alive after being slashed three times with a bush knife by a man known to him on Saturday.

Farad Razak said he was dropping off a passenger in Phoenix when he came under attack. He explained that he was looking towards the passenger door when suddenly his door was flung open, and a man struck him on his hand with what he described as a bushknife.

He said that before he could react, the man struck again, causing a wound to his stomach. Unaware of the seriousness of his wounds, he tried to step out of the vehicle to defend himself when he was then slashed on the leg.

Feared for his life

“He just struck at me. I could not comprehend what was happening. I managed to get into the car and release the handbrake so I could roll forward and out of his range. I could not feel my right leg and realised that my wound was serious. I picked my leg up and placed it on the accelerator pedal,” he said.

His vehicle was also damaged above the driver's door. Fearing he would lose his life, he called his family to alert them to the incident before driving himself to a clinic in Phoenix, where nurses assisted him before he was transported to a hospital, where he is recovering.

“I have been driving for eight years, and this is the first incident. I am trying to make an income in this tough line of business,” he said.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Magwaza said a case of attempted murder has been opened at Phoenix SAPS. He said Razak was driving along Litford Road when a man driving a white bakkie attempted to overtake him.

“The victim stopped to allow the vehicle to pass. The suspect then stopped his vehicle, approached the victim, and attacked him with a bush knife without saying a word. The victim sustained injuries on his body,” Magwaza said.

Razak said it was not a road rage incident.

Crime statistics

According to the April to June 2026 national crime statistics released on Friday, the number of attempted murder incidents reported was 6,958, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm was 38,589, and common assault was 42,491.

Police said the causes of attempted murder and serious assault cases between April and June 2026 were arguments, misunderstandings, provocations, and fights. Knives were used in 258 incidents reported in KZN, while Gauteng recorded 211 incidents.

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