JOHANNESBURG - Two iPhone resellers were left shocked after being ambushed and robbed.
The ordeal happened while attempting to sell devices worth more than R100,000 at the upmarket Silver Lakes estate in Pretoria.
Anton Berg and Ceanon Palm believed that they were meeting a legitimate client who was interested in purchasing an iPhone 17 Pro Max and an iPhone16.
Berg says the deal seemed straightforward- no deposit or upfront payment, but a cash-on-delivery arrangement, which sets them apart from other businesses.
Berg said the supposed buyer shared his location.
At the time, there were no suspicions until they arrived at the agreed location.
Upon arrive they met a man, supposed to be the buyer, who identified his vehicle.
READ | Family of girl shot in robbery says no help has been offered
Berg said the interaction once again seemed normal as the pair greeted him and walked towards his car to show him the phones.
According to Berg, there were initially two visible people in the car- the supposed buyer and the driver, but moments later, two more men emerged from the back seat.
“That’s when I knew it's over.”
Berg said the men were armed. He also noticed the men from a previous incident where he was allegedly robbed of over R300,000 in goods after returning from a supplier.
"It was 2023 in August; I was still doing my matric year. I was robbed by the exact same people, exact same sets up," he recalled.
Palm said a knock like that hurts the business. He said his guard has been up since the incident always questioning every delivery.
As a result, the two have now been cautious of the running of the business, which includes where they make their deliveries- not at an obvious place but secure enough to not allow any chance takers.
This incident has brought to light the persistence of crime, which remains one of the most pressing concerns for millions of South Africans.
READ |SONA 2025 | High crime continues to push investors away
In last year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa promised stronger policing and better coordination in the criminal justice system, but many residents in high-crime areas say this hasn’t made a dent in crime.
Much like Berg and Palm's concerns.
According to the second quarter of crime statistics between July 2025 to September 2025 a total of 11,329 cases of common robbery were reported, while robbery at residential premises recorded 5103 cases.
While the President detailed a mandate to fight crime in his last address, security analyst Andy Mashaile said SAPS leadership was failing to translate the strategies and tactics into an effective and efficient running system.
READ | Crime in focus ahead of SONA 2026
“It hasn’t translated into what we would have expected from the mandate deployed by the president. There is a cocktail of dynamics that would inform when we are on a trajectory to crime prevention. We are still struggling.”