Lingelethu-West police are investigating a carjacking following the hijacking of a Gift of the Givers vehicle in Khayelitsha on Friday 3 October.
Provincial police spokesperson Capt F.C. van Wyk confirmed the incident occurred at 20:00.
“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,” Van Wyk said. “When they arrived at the address, a Toyota Yaris stopped in front of them. Five armed men got out of the vehicle, threatened them and demanded that they get out of the LDV.”
The complainant and his colleagues were then asked to enter the Toyota Yaris, and they were taken to an informal settlement with no electricity, Van Wyk added. Here, the suspects apparently attempted to remove the LDV vehicle’s tracker device and damaged the dashboard, triggering the vehicle’s panic alarm. The alarm immediately alerted the tracking company.
The complainant and his colleagues were found at the scene and the officers removed the vehicle from the scene, handing it in as exhibit and for further processing, Van Wyk explained, adding that no arrests have been mad.
Ali Sably, Gift of the Givers spokesperson, said the staff members are traumatised by the incident.
“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,” Subly recounted the incident.
“In their attempt to locate and remove the vehicle’s tracker device, they stripped the dashboard and inadvertently triggered the panic alarm. Johnny Jaftha from 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.”
He said the vehicle is currently in police custody for further investigation.
Ward 99 councillor Lonwabo Mqina condemned the incident and urged the investigating officers not to leave any stone unturned, as the foundation is helpful to the communities and supports them during difficult times. “The Gift of the Givers supports us when we have floods or shack fires by giving us food, clothes, mattresses, and so forth,” he pointed out.
“ It is imperative that community members protect their communities from wrongdoers.”
