Kosie van der Merwe with the taxi driver and passengers who helped him to find his cell phone again that was stolen in eMalahleni (Witbank) on Thursday afternoon.
"There are still good taxi drivers out there," said Kosie van der Merwe, owner of Holfontein Farm.
This came after Kosie was robbed of his cell phone on Thursday (10 August) in eMalahleni (Witbank) and later recovered by a taxi driver and his passengers.
Kosie stopped at a traffic light in eMalahleni on his way to the airfield where he is completing his pilot license when a man approached him.
"The doors of my vehicle were locked, but my window was open, because it was hot," said Kosie.
The man asked Kosie if he had a cigarette for him and while Kosie was trying to tell him he does not smoke, the man took out a huge knife and demanded Kosie's cell phone.
The man ran off with the cell phone and Kosie made a U-turn to follow him, but he disappeared among all the people.
Kosie drove to the airfield and borrowed somebody's phone to call his wife, Janie, to tell her about the incident.
She however, told him a taxi driver just phoned and said they found Kosie's cell phone and he must go to the taxi rank.
"So I went there, but was a bit suspicious.
"I did not know if it is a trap.
"On my way to the taxi rank I stopped for directions and a taxi driver stopped next to me and asked if I was the guy looking for my cell phone.
"He took me to the taxi rank.
The taxi driver and passengers saw what happened at the traffic light where Kosie was robbed and followed the thief, caught him and beat him with sjamboks.
They then went through Kosie's call log and called the last number on his phone which lead them to his wife.
"They showed me the knife and it was definitely the knife the man used when he robbed me.
"I thought I should tip them and went to the bank to withdraw money and they took me for a ride in their taxi, it was my first time in a taxi.
"There are still good people out there," said Kosie.