ROLAND Croucamp, who runs a local handyman business, was left stranded in early January after his white Toyota Stallion bakkie was stolen in Wepener Street, Forest Hill.
Not only did handyman Roland lose his bakkie, but 11 of his employees lost their jobs because he cannot transport them to various places where they do waterproofing, painting, ceiling and other handyman jobs. “My colleague and I take people who would ordinarily not get a job, train them and then employ them. Unfortunately, without transport it is very difficult – that is why I’m pleading to whoever witnessed something to contact Booysens Police. The bakkie has a sticker on the side that reads ‘A1 Handyman’.
The Linmeyer resident said it was around 13:30 on a Sunday when he went into a customer’s property to do a quote. “The theft was so quick because, in less than 10 minutes, when I returned to my vehicle to get some papers, it was gone. I don’t how they did it because I even used to battle to start the bakkie,” Roland explained.
“And, because I have 11 men depending on me and they have families depending on them, I am willing to rent a bakkie so that we can continue working. I hope that a Good Samaritan can help us with an unused bakkie; even if someone wants to sponsor a bakkie and customise it as such, we would be happy,” he said.
Roland was a bus driver at Hamlet School for seven years. According to a former teacher, Anamarie Keyser, who has known him for 12 years and worked with him at the school, Roland is a very kind and helpful man. “He helped many people in the South when they had flat tyres on the road and he even chased and caught a criminal to recover a stolen purse. I really hope there is somebody out there to be a guardian angel for him now, in his time of need. He needs some kind of transport to go to work,” she said.
Roland has actually featured in numerous Good Samaritan stories reported in the COURIER, always preferring to remain anonymous because he said he didn’t do the good deeds for attention or fame. Today, however, without transport, he walks the hilly roads of Bassonia to service his customers and if motorists are in need of help on the side of the road, most are wary of Roland if he approaches them on foot, not trusting his genuine offer of help.
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