Gift of the Givers staff traumatised after Khayelitsha kidnapping ordeal

THREE Gift of the Givers staff members were left traumatised after they were kidnapped at gunpoint in a 40-minute hijacking ordeal in Khayelitsha.

The team, a male driver and two female colleagues, were driving through the area on Friday when seven armed men cut them off, forced them out of their vehicle, and bundled them into a blue Toyota Yaris.

Two other suspects sped off in the organisation’s branded van.

The hijackers later abandoned the staff in the middle of an informal settlement.

Project coordinator Ali Sablay said: “Members of our team were hijacked in Lingelethu West last night while on duty.

“At a stop street, a blue Toyota Yaris suddenly cut in front of their vehicle. Within seconds, five to seven armed men emerged from nearby structures and forcefully removed our team at gunpoint. 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 from Tracker Connect immediately sprang into action upon receiving the alert. Despite the evident danger of the area and without back-up, he selflessly put his own life at risk to locate and assist our team. His courageous efforts are deeply appreciated.”

Sablay extended gratitude to provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile and SAPS members who responded promptly, ensuring the safe recovery and escort of the team.

“The vehicle is currently in police custody for further investigation. Our staff members are understandably deeply traumatised, having been driven around for close to 40 minutes in an area where Gift of the Givers has been actively involved in social upliftment and disaster relief projects for many years.

“A special word of appreciation goes to Councillor Lonwabo Mqina and the community of Khayelitsha, who mobilised and drove around in search of our team. Their visible anger and frustration at this criminal act speak to their solidarity with our mission and the deep community ties we share.”

He added that Gift of the Givers remains committed to serving all communities in need, “despite the risks our teams sometimes face”.

Speaking outside the Lingelethu West police station, Mqina said: “The Gift of the Givers have helped this community when we had disasters like floods and fires. We appeal to the community to protect such people and their vehicles."

Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said Lingelethu-West police registered a carjacking case following an incident on October 3, at 8pm.

“According to reports, the complainant was driving a white Isuzu LDV clearly marked with the Gift of the Givers logo. He was on his way to drop two colleagues at Diki Nyeka Square when, at the mentioned address, a Toyota Yaris stopped in front of them. Five armed men exited the Yaris, threatened the occupants, and demanded that they exit the LDV.

“The complainant and his colleagues were then forced into the Toyota Yaris and driven to an informal settlement with no electricity. At the location, the suspects attempted to remove the vehicle’s tracker device and damaged the dashboard, which triggered the vehicle’s panic alarm. The Tracker company was immediately dispatched to the scene.

“The complainant and his colleagues were subsequently located, and police recovered the vehicle, which was handed in as an exhibit for further processing.”

Van Wyk said no arrests have been made yet.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 use the MySAPS mobile application.