The recent hijacking of a Gift of the Givers, a humanitarian organisation, vehicle in Khayelitsha has been strongly criticised as police continue searching for the suspects.
The Isuzu LDV was reportedly hijacked in Lingelethu West on Friday 3 October.
It is alleged that five armed men hijacked the car at Diki Nyeka Square. The suspects, who are yet to be arrested, reportedly stopped their vehicle, a Toyota Yaris, in front of the Isuzu. They allegedly forced the three occupants out of the car and ordered them to get into the Yaris. They then drove to a secluded area at Level Two informal settlement near Graceland.
Provincial police spokesperson Capt FC van Wyk confirmed the incident and said Lingelethu-West police registered a carjacking case. “According to reports the complainant was driving a white Isuzu LDV clearly marked Gift of the Givers. He was going to drop two colleagues at Diki Nyeka Square when they arrived at the mentioned address a Toyota Yaris stopped in front of them, five males positively armed got out of the vehicle, threatened them and demanded that they must get out of the LDV,” explained Van Wyk, adding that the driver and his colleagues were then put in the Toyota Yaris and drove to an informal settlement with no electricity, where the suspects wanted to remove the vehicle’s tracker device and damaged the dashboard.
He said this then triggered the panic alarm of the vehicle and the Tracker company was immediately dispatched to the location.
Van Wyk stated that the occupants were found unharmed. He said the car was taken as an exhibit and for further processing.
Ward 99 councillor Lonwabo Mqina condemned the incident and urged the community to unite against any wrongdoing. He urged the officers not to leave any stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to book. He praised Gift of the Givers for its work in communities in times of difficulty.
“The Gift of the Givers supports us when we have floods or shack fires by giving us food, clothes, mattresses etc. It is imperative that as community we protect them from wrongdoers,” said Mqina.
Ali Sablay, the spokesperson for the Gift of the Givers, said their staff are still traumatised. He said between five and seven armed men emerged from nearby structures and forcefully removed their team from the car. “The team was bundled into the Yaris while two of the suspects sped off in the sponsored Gift of the Givers van. The suspects drove our staff to a secluded location surrounded by informal structures with no electricity. In their attempt to locate and remove the vehicle’s tracker device, they stripped the dashboard and inadvertently triggered the panic alarm. Johnny Jaftha of Tracker Connect, upon receiving the alert, immediately sprang into action. Despite the evident danger of the area and without backup, he selflessly put his own life at risk to locate and assist our team,” said Sablay.
