Unidentified assailants robbed South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga as she was travelling with her bodyguards along one of the country\u2019s main highways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe tires of the minister\u2019s car were punctured by spikes, bringing the car to a stop, enabling the criminals to rob the occupants of valuables,\u201d Transport Ministry spokesman Collen Msibi said in a statement on Tuesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis incident took place in the early hours of Monday morning when the minister was en route to Pretoria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister and her bodyguards were unharmed and safe, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South African police said in a separate statement that the robbers took personal belongings and her two security guards\u2019 service pistols in the attack, which occurred on the N3 highway southeast of Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA manhunt has since been launched following this unprecedented incident and to bring to book those responsible for this attack,\u201d police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africa has one of the world\u2019s highest crime rates, a status that\u2019s underpinned by widespread inequality and high unemployment. There were 280,000 hijacking incidents in the country in the 12 months through March, according to\u00a0Statistics South Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n