A WENTWORTH pastor who found himself staring down the barrel of a gun and fearing he would never see his family again, said faith was the only thing that sustained him during a terrifying hijacking ordeal.

Pastor Deon Varcoe, of Bethel Fellowship Wentworth, and his helper were collecting sand in Merebank under the M4 Bridge on June 17 when two armed men threatened to shoot them before making off with his bakkie.

He said the men enquired about employment opportunities before their demeanour suddenly changed and the encounter took a chilling turn.

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Varcoe said nothing about the men initially raised alarm bells.

“They looked decent, and one of them had a handbag slung around his neck. Immediately, he pulled a firearm from behind his bag and cocked it. At first, I thought it was just going to be a robbery. When I looked at the gun, I realised it was old and had probably been used before in criminal activities,” said Varcoe.

One of the men allegedly demanded the keys to his bakkie, and I told him the keys were in the vehicle, even though they were actually in his pocket.

“The man searched the vehicle but could not find the keys. He came back to me and demanded the keys again. In my shirt pocket, I had my cellphone, bank card, ID and other personal items,” he said.

Both victims were held at gunpoint

Varcoe said he and his helper were then forced to squat against the bakkie while the man pointed a firearm at their heads and repeatedly threatened to shoot them if they failed to obey instructions.

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He said the ordeal lasted nearly 20 minutes in an isolated area where there was little chance of anyone coming to their aid.

“They also demanded my helper’s cellphone and took his R50. By then, they had become very aggressive. They searched me and eventually found the car keys in the back pocket of my trousers,” he said.

As the situation became increasingly desperate, Varcoe said he feared they would not survive.

His faith helped him to survive

“I started praying out loud and asking God to help us because I realised they might kill us. I said, ‘Father, in the name of Jesus…’ but before I could finish, the man with the firearm interrupted me. He said, ‘Do not say in the name of Jesus. Say the devil is here.’ I told him I would never say that. At that point, I was prepared to die for my faith,” said Varcoe.

Moments later, the second man got into the bakkie. As the vehicle began moving, another man jumped in, and the men sped away, leaving Varcoe and his helper shaken and stranded.

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“I lost my bible, diary, cellphone, vehicle and other valuables that were inside the bakkie,” he said.

After the hijackers fled, the two men walked to the M4 before making their way back to Wentworth.

Despite the traumatic experience, Varcoe believes his faith gave him the strength to remain calm in the face of danger and survive one of the most frightening moments of his life.

“I forgive them, but I feel sorry for them. This will not end well. They have brought a curse upon themselves and upon their generations by attacking me,” he said.

Police launched an investigation to trace the suspects

Police spokesperson for eThekwini District Captain Carmen Rhynes said the victim was parked underneath the M4 bridge near the park in Sialkot Cresent while offloading rubble from his Nissan NP200.

“While standing outside his motor vehicle together with his [helper], they were approached by two unknown suspects. One of the suspects produced and cocked a firearm, whereafter the victim was threatened and dispossessed of the keys to his motor vehicle. No shots were fired during the incident, and no injuries were reported. Investigations are ongoing to trace the suspects and recover the stolen vehicle,” said Rhynes.

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