Kind stranger reaches out to help stranded journalist

A parent’s worst nightmare is undoubtedly when their children’s lives are placed in danger. This Lowvelder journalist and father of three experienced something akin to this after being stuck on the R40 from Mbombela towards Barberton.  While driving along the Hilltop Pass, the car’s engine coughed and sputtered and I could feel the engine losing power.

As the vehicle ground to a halt with me behind the steering wheel, I glanced over to the back seat where my children were. The look of bewilderment on their faces filled me with anxiety.

Not wanting to portray any fear, I shot them a quick smile, pulled the lever connected to the bonnet and got out of the car. All that escaped from the engine was a hissing sound and what I surmised to be steam.

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I am by no means a petrol head and do not know my crankshaft from my pistons, but I proceeded to “inspect” the engine with the air of an experienced mechanic. This seemed to still their unease, but did little to get rid of the nauseating feeling which had settled in the pit of my stomach.

“Will we be okay, daddy?” my eldest asked. The same smile crept over my face as I continued hunkering down into the bonnet, overcome with hopelessness. I had underestimated the time of day and the growing darkness intensified my fears.

Being stuck on the side of the road with three children and no working knowledge of how to identify or fix the problem and having no signal to call anyone for help, left me more than a little flustered.

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Just then, a 4X4 bakkie pulled over. A tall, tanned and stocky gentleman appeared and asked somewhat roughly, “What is the problem here?”

I was somewhat taken aback and just shook my head in exasperation while the affable stranger moved closer to have a look. After a few seconds or so he told me that my car was overheating but that it did not seem that serious. He walked back to his bakkie and produced two five-litre jerry cans, filled to the brim with water.

After directing me to slowly open the water bottle, he gave me some antifreeze with a stern warning to drive very slowly and to keep an eye on the heat gauge to prevent any further damage to the engine.

This experience has turned everything I believed about other races on its head, since he was a white man who went out of his way to help a family stranded on the side of the road.

I have learned – through this experience – that South Africans are by and large a group of people who are always ready to extend a helping hand.