Noxolo Ntuli, a master's student at the University of Johannesburg, bravely fought back against armed robbers after they attempted to snatch her handbag that had her master's thesis inside.
"I didn't know I had it in me"Noxolo Ntuli
Ntuli was speaking to breakfast host Stephen Grootes on Talk Radio 702 on Thursday and said she was determined not to lose her work.
"I was thinking about ... my hard drive [containing] work and [my] master's [thesis]. I was thinking about all those things and I couldn't let go," she said.
The video that has since surfaced on social media showed the suspects' brazen attempt to hijack the woman in broad daylight in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. The robbery occurred after 5pm on Monday and was captured by CCTV cameras installed at a nearby house.
Ntuli, who is studying towards her master's in molecular zoology, said: "I only got scared afterwards. At that present moment, I was just determined to hold on to my stuff and get home."
Another car was seen pulling up next to Ntuli and the alleged robbers drove off.
Ntuli said that she couldn't imagine the prospect of losing all her valuables such as her house keys, bank cards and driver's license.
"I didn't know I had it in me. Even my family asked where I learnt to fight like that," Ntuli said.
According to TimesLive, the three suspects have since been found and police spokesperson Lieutenant Kay Makhubele confirmed the arrest.
"The men were caught in Brixton. They have been charged with armed robbery. They were also found in possession of a laptop that we suspect belongs to the University of Johannesburg student that was seen in the CCTV footage‚" said Makhubele.