A SECURITY guard has been praised after assisting a woman and her two small children who were stranded on the road after their car ran out of petrol recently.

Goodson Mseleshe was heading home after working a night shift when he heard a car making a strange noise nearby.

“I was walking along Sarnia Road when the car drove a short distance and stopped again. My gut feeling told me something was wrong. I turned around to try to get the lady’s attention, but she did not see me.

“I walked to her car and asked if she was experiencing a problem. She said she did not know what the problem was. I asked if she was out of petrol, and she said her petrol gauge was faulty and she could not even see the reading.”

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Mseleshe, who is stationed at the Bellair Municipal Swimming Pool, said his biggest concern was that the car had stopped in the middle of the road on a sharp turn, where another vehicle could easily have crashed into them.

“But what touched me most was that this was a woman with two small children. People have turned into monsters. What if someone came along and robbed or injured them? I would not have been able to live with myself,” he said.

To make matters worse, the woman’s cellphone battery was also flat, meaning she could not make any calls.

“I asked another man who was passing by to help push her car out of the road first. I volunteered to go and buy petrol for her, but she did not have cash because she uses her phone to pay.

“I had R100 with me, so I walked around looking for a container. I eventually found a five-litre container and returned with some petrol. I poured it into her car, and she was so relieved when it started. That, for me, made my day.

“She gave me a lift and dropped me off in Rossburgh.”

The 49-year-old from Umlazi said he has been working for Excellerate Services since 2002, when the company was known as Enforce Security.

Although he does not have much himself, the compassionate Mseleshe said he loves lending a helping hand whenever he can. “I love children and I hate seeing them abused or violated. I am a people’s person. I love living peacefully and I hate violence,” he said.

Mseleshe said the mother called him as soon as she arrived home to repay him. He declined, saying that knowing she and her children had arrived home safely was his real concern.

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Excellerate Services regional director Barry Smith said his first reaction to Mseleshe using his last R100 to buy fuel for a stranded mother was pride and appreciation.

“Goodson had just finished a nightshift and still stopped to help the mother and her two children.”

Smith said the company motto is “Where Better Begins” and encourages staff to show respect, take responsibility and leave lives better than before, adding that Mseleshe will receive a Distinguished Conduct award for going beyond the call off duty.

“Goodson’s story shows the human behind the uniform in an industry that often gets negative press. Our officers are members of the communities they serve, and many make a positive difference every day without attracting attention. Goodson’s actions show strength through kindness and that everyone can help make communities safer and more caring by paying attention and acting when needed.”

Several attempts were made to speak to the woman in question, but she could not be reached.

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