26-06-2025
Casual chat turns into nightmare for Ackerville man
What started as a casual conversation at a local shisanyama in Ackerville ended in a nightmare for Max Mahlathini, who was drugged, robbed, and left without his belongings and car.
Mahlathini said the incident took place around 23:00 on June 20.
He had stopped at the shisanyama to buy water when a woman approached him, claiming she knew him.
'She came up to me and said she recognised me. We spoke for a bit, and then she asked if we could sit and talk in my car,' Mahlathini said.
Once inside his own car with the woman, things quickly took a dangerous turn.
'I didn't even realise she had spiked my drink,' he explained. 'As I was talking to someone else I knew nearby, I started feeling dizzy and unwell.'
Sensing that something was wrong, Mahlathini told the woman he needed to go home and get medication. She accompanied him back to his house.
'I was only inside for maybe two minutes before we drove back to the shisanyama,' he said. 'I told her I wasn't feeling well at all and needed to go home and sleep. That's the last thing I remember.'
Mahlathini blacked out and only regained consciousness the next day. What he found was devastating.
'The front door was open. Everything was gone; they stole all my electronics, food from the fridge, and even clothes. My blue VW Polo Vivo was also gone.'
He later discovered, through his tracker, that the vehicle had been traced to Soshanguve.
He believes the woman was working with a group.
'She was definitely not alone. This was planned. People must be very careful who they talk to, even if someone says they know you,' Mahlathini said.
The matter has been reported to police, and a case has been opened. No arrests have yet been made.
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