Cape Town – Nkosi Sindiwe, a cadet inspector from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, was hijacked in a marked animal welfare organisation vehicle in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on his way home on Tuesday night.
Sindiwe was approached by six armed men who forced him to open the door at gunpoint.
“I was driving in Khayelitsha at around 19:30 last night (Tuesday) when two vehicles, one in the front and one behind me blocked the road and six armed men appeared. Two of them were on each side of the vehicle and they banged on the driver’s window with a gun, I had to open the door or they would’ve shot me.
“I turned off the vehicle because I knew they wouldn’t be able to start it without the transponder tag to override the immobiliser system. I was trying to save the car because the SPCA desperately needs it to rescue animals but it didn’t work.
“They pointed the gun at me again and I had to show them how to start the bakkie,” he said.
Sindiwe was robbed, handcuffed, and thrown into the back of the vehicle.
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“I was scared for my life but glad that there were no animals in my vehicle and I only had to think of how to save myself,” he said.
However, he managed to escape by kicking out the tailgate while the vehicle was in motion.
A bystander helped him and took him to the nearest police station, where the handcuffs were removed and he received medical attention.
The hijacked vehicle was later found abandoned.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA CEO Moyo Ndukwana said that it was no longer safe for their staff to enter the area after dark without a police escort.
“Our staff are our greatest asset and our team — who have dedicated their lives to making a difference in the lives of the voiceless — should be able to fulfil their mandate without fear. The sad reality is that they can longer do so,” he said.
“It is a very difficult decision to make but staff safety is paramount and for that reason our inspectors will no longer be able to enter the area after dark without police escort.”
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Picture: Cape of Good Hope SPCA
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
