Joburg NPO needs new vehicle after hijacking

Refilwe Community Project driver, Artwell Motaung, had been on his way to collect the organisation’s children from school, when three armed men entered the Toyota Quantum he was driving, Fourways Review reported.

“One of them cocked a gun to my head and told me to drive,” said Motaung. More than three hours later, the battered driver was found tied up and deposited on the side of the road in Soweto. The hijackers had also stolen Motaung’s cash and had emptied out his bank account.

“In the two weeks since the incident, Refilwe has been blessed by friends and partners who have supplemented the rental allowance provided by their insurance company and enabled the rental of a 14-seater bus,” said Refilwe representative, Kate Piscator.

She added this had enabled them to continue taking their 25 children and another seven children from the community to the nine different schools they attend each day.

“Three vehicles are needed to ensure that everyone has a seat and arrives at school safely and on time,” Piscator continued.

“But when the insurance pays out the claim and the rental allowance stops, Refilwe will need to urgently purchase a replacement bus to ensure that the children’s education continues uninterrupted.”

This vehicle will not only be used for school transport, but also for the other programmes which Refilwe runs, including taking teachers from pre-schools in the surrounding informal settlements to training, transporting visiting groups of volunteers, helping housebound elderly men and women visit the clinic, and the occasional field trip or soccer match for the teens and children within the project.

“The insurance company will cover nearly half the cost of a new Quantum, but Refilwe will still need to raise over R150 000 in a very short space of time,” Piscator added.

“Donors would also be able to provide branding for the new vehicle, which is a great way to advertise your company and your heart for the community.”

They are seeking partners who would be willing to assist with covering this cost, or a dealership which would consider sponsoring a portion of a new Quantum. Refilwe is a fully registered NGO and PBO and would be able to provide a Section 18a Tax Certificate for any donations to this cause.

With half of all hijackings in South Africa taking place in Gauteng, a number of unconfirmed hijacking hot spots have been identified, most in urban areas.

Some of the hotspots include: the William Nicol Drive off-ramp near the N1 from Sandton, the corner of Old Pretoria Road and 1st Avenue in Alexandra, the New Road off-ramp in Midrand and the Christiaan de Wet Road and Wilgerood Road intersection in Roodepoort.

– Caxton News Service