If you’ve ever been to the village, we’re sure you will know – there is never a dull day.
Wednesday, 27 March 2024, was one of those days, unfortunately – it was for all the wrong reasons.
As all parents will know – whether it’s driving to sports games, music lessons, or hospital appointments – transport is a critical resource when it comes to raising children. So, we can all sympathise with Sihle (LIV’s head driver), who is responsible for the logistics of getting 15 children to their various commitments! 🚗
It had been a difficult year for Sihle and the driving team, as LIV had been down on vehicles. This meant that it was harder to arrange transport – and unfortunately, it often meant that our children were unable to attend opportunities and events that they had been invited to.
Then one afternoon, Sihle was taking a Mum and child back from a doctor’s appointment in town. As they drove back up the winding road to the village, a vehicle behind them shunted them off the road. (Sparing some of the details) Together they were threatened, as the gunman demanded that they get out of the vehicle. The car sped off, leaving them stranded near the sugar cane fields without a route home.
Courageously, they began to make their way home, alerting the team on the village of what had happened. After they had safely been returned to home. Our operations team worked with police, the Tracker team and RUSA security to locate the vehicle. Less than 3 hours later, the vehicle was located in the bush – completely destroyed (the parts had been rapidly ripped out for sale before the car was set alight).
We were just so thankful that God protected Sihle, our Mum and child from any injury (following the hijacking, all were given counselling and have since been able to better process the events that unfolded). But it was a huge knock to the whole community on the village – not just to hear of the scary events that had unfolded, but also because of the long-lasting impact on village life – losing another vehicle meant even more children would miss out on off-site opportunities.
But what the enemy meant for evil, God turned for good.
Without ever asking for help, Toyota Bidvest got involved. They were shocked to hear what had happened and wanted to do everything they could to help. Together with Bidvest Insurance, they made sure that the 10 seater that was stolen was replaced with a brand new 7-seater model.
But they didn’t stop there.
Noticing the village’s need for additional transport, they also gave us Toyota’s latest 16-seater model!
So, we lost 10 seats but gained back 23 – how amazing is that?!
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