Gift of the Givers will continue to serve communities in need, despite the risks its staff might face. So says the humanitarian aid organisation’s spokesperson in the Western Cape, Ali Sablay. This comes after three of its staff members were the victims of a hijacking in Lingelethu West in Khayelitsha on Friday night.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile and the SAPS members who responded promptly and ensured the safe recovery and escort of our team,” said ali sablay.
Gift of the Givers’s Ali Sablay, “A special word of appreciation goes to Councillor Lomwabo Mqina and the community of Khayelitsha, who mobilised and drove around in search of our team.”
Gift of the Givers will continue to serve communities in need
Captain F. C. van Wyk says Lingelethu-West Police registered a carjacking case following an incident on 2025-10-03 at 20:00. He says, according to reports, the complainant was driving a white Isuzu LDV clearly marked Gift of the Givers. Van Wyk says he was going to drop two colleagues at Diki Nyeka Square when they arrived at the mentioned address, and a Toyota Yaris stopped in front of them. Five armed men got out of the vehicle, threatened them and then demanded that they get out of the LDV.
“Johnny Jaftha from Tracker Connect, upon receiving the alert, immediately sprang into action. Despite the evident danger of the area and without backup, he selflessly put his own life at risk to locate and assist our team. His courageous efforts are deeply appreciated.”
Gift to serve despite the risks its staff might face
Van Wyk added that the complainant and his Gift of the Givers colleagues were told to get into the Toyota Yaris and drive to an informal settlement that had no electricity. It is here that the suspects attempted to remove the vehicle’s tracker device, damaging the dashboard in the process. He says, this triggered the panic alarm of the vehicle and the Tracker company was immediately dispatched to the location.
Gift staff members are still deeply traumatised
Sablay says their staff members are still deeply traumatised, following the ordeal. He says the hijackers drove the man and two women around for close to 40 minutes in the area where they had been hijacked. It’s also an area where staff have been actively involved in social upliftment and disaster relief projects for many years.
Police – No arrests yet
Van Wyk says the complainant and his Gift of the Givers colleagues were found, and the Police removed the vehicle from the scene and handed it in as an exhibit and further processing. He says the investigation continues. No arrests have been made. At this stage, the Toyota Yaris has still not been found. the Police are looking for several suspects.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact Crime Stoppers on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.
