'They banged on the driver’s window with a gun': SPCA cadet inspector's hijacking ordeal

“They banged on the driver’s window with a gun. I had to open the door, or they would’ve shot me.” 

These were the words of Nkosi Sindiwe, a cadet inspector from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA who was hijacked in a marked animal welfare organisation bakkie in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. 

Sindiwe, handcuffed and thrown into the back of the bakkie, managed to survive the terrifying ordeal by kicking out the tailgate and jumping out of the moving vehicle on Tuesday night.

“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,” he said. 

He was forced at gunpoint to show the suspects how to operate the immobiliser, robbed of his wallet and cellphone, handcuffed and thrown into the back. 

“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. 

He managed to escape by kicking at the bakkie's tailgate and canopy lock until it gave way.

A good Samaritan stopped to help the injured man, driving him to the nearest police station where the handcuffs were removed and he was taken to hospital. 

The hijacked bakkie was later found abandoned. 

Cape of Good Hope SPCA CEO Moyo Ndukwana said it was no longer safe 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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