A Parklands mother took several punches to the face while heroically protecting her son during an attempted hijacking last week.
Colleen Van Rensburg shared the story of the harrowing ordeal on social media, saying that she was assaulted as she attempted to protect her son and car.
Her post reads: “Early morning wake up call with an assault as person tried to get away with my car & child.”
The brave mothers’ five-year-old son was settled in his seat while his mother was packing bags into the car when the attack took place.
Rensburg told IOL the assailant was armed when he approached her vehicle.
“I heard someone coming up behind me, but I assumed it was someone who lived in the complex. Then he stood next to me and was holding something like a screwdriver and I started screaming.”
She explained to IOL that the attacker started throwing punches at her, prompting her to retaliate.
“I can’t even remember how it happened, but I think I managed to get him out the car and he grabbed my arm. I was screaming the entire time, and he started throwing punches, and my son was also screaming.”
Rensburg described how she acted to protect her son from the suspect.
“I physically fought [the assailant] off but got punched a few times in the face, but was not going to let this f***** get away with my child.”
The assailant fled the scene when local residents came out of their homes after hearing the commotion.
Rensburg said, “After our altercation he ran off. [My son] is unharmed but traumatised (also because mom was punching someone haha) and car is fine.”
Rensburg said her child’s safety is her number-one priority.
“Keep your kids safe no matter what it takes.”
She was attended to by medical service attendants who arrived at the scene after the incident.
Picture: Colleen Van Rensburg, Facebook