American tourist Walter Fischel, who survived being robbed and shot in the face in Nyanga after landing at the Cape Town International Airport, has turned to crowdfunding in order to get back home.
Fischel, 55, was discharged from Rondebosch Medical Centre on Friday.
Speaking to News24 shortly after a morning walk in Hermanus on Saturday, Fischel said he was ready to go back home, but had to find a way to pay for his plane ticket since the robbers left him with nothing but the clothes on his back.
‘It’s not the best feeling when you are out visiting loved ones and don’t have anything to contribute to’, he said.
‘My friends are amazing, and they have seen to my every need, and I’m eternally grateful to them because I don’t know what I would’ve done had they not cared for me in my time here in Cape Town’.
Fischel, from Connecticut, drove to his accommodation in Simon’s Town via Nyanga to avoid traffic. Four men approached his car while he was stuck in traffic and one of them shot him in the face.
Although he put up a fight, the gunmen fled in the rental car along with his belongings.
All his bank accounts have been frozen since the attack.
His family is hoping to raise at least $25 000 (around R468 000) to cover his plane ticket, medical expenses, and money stolen from him. So far, they have raised just over $7 695 (around R144 000).
Fischel is scheduled to return on Monday to the scene where he was attacked, with the investigating officer handling his case.
‘It’s going to be difficult and emotional for me to go back, but I realise I need to if I want there to be any arrests.’
[Photo: Screenshot]