The GPS route took Walter Fischel from Nyanga, where he was shot.
A 55-year-old American tourist has spoken out about his nightmare vacation that left him in hospital after being robbed and shot in the face at one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the world. According to The Sun, Walter Fischel, from Connecticut in the United States, was shot in the face the same day he landed at Cape Town International Airport in South Africa earlier this month. The 55-year-old was still recovering from surgery when he gave the harrowing account of his near-death experience while vacationing in South Africa.
Mr Fischel had landed in Cape Town on November 3 to visit his friends, the outlet reported. He rented a car soon and exchanged money at the airport before heading to his accommodation in Simon’s Town. The 55-year-old entered his destination in the GPS and picked the shortest route. However, he wasn’t aware that the route would take him through Nyanga, a neighbourhood considered to be one of the most dangerous places in the world.
“I was coming to Simons Town to visit, and then go to Hermanus, and hang out in Hermanus for six or seven days and then return back to the United States,” Mr Fischel told News24. “(I) picked the route – the shortest distance – which was not the highway, because the highway apparently had traffic,” he said.
According to the 55-year-old, the GPS route took him from Nyanga, which he said “was not the greatest” and traffic got so cluttered that he had to come to a stop. At this point, he said that four men circled his car before shooting him in the face.
“It got slow enough so that it was stopped, (and) the guy reached in, opened- hit the lock, opened the door, (and on of) his accomplice(s) opened the passenger door,” Mr Fischel told the outlet.
The American tourist said he tried to reach for the man’s gun but the shooter “swung away from (me) while his accomplice grabbed some of the goods” in the car. He was then shot and the men grabbed the keys and kicked him out of his vehicle.
“Then I opened the boot to try to grab my bag, which I did, and then they chased me down and grabbed, took the bag from me, and left me there with a bullet wound,” Mr Fischel said. “I spit out a couple of teeth and the bullet,” he added.
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According to The Sun, Mr Fischel was rushed to a local hospital where he was told by medics what had happened to him. “They told me that they would take care of me. Very good doctors,” he said.
But soon the doctors realised they weren’t equipped to treat Mr Fischel when they discovered he had a fractured mandible and a bullet hole was still in his face. He was then quickly transferred to Cape Town’s Rondebosch Medical Centre, which had the medics and machines required to help him.
If his wound had been more up or down, there’s a good chance he could have died, the American tourist said. The doctors, on the other hand, told News24 that the team had to secure an airway to save Mr Fischel as blood could have gone into his lungs.
Now, the 55-year-old is recovering. He said that he is grateful to be alive but is angry that didn’t see it coming. As he awaits his return to the US, Mr Fischel said there weren’t enough warnings for foreigners in place. He asked the city’s law enforcement to take better measures to ensure the safety of travellers.