A Cape of Good Hope SPCA inspector was left traumatised after he was forced, at gunpoint, to hand over the company vehicle on Friday 17 June.
According to Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Jaco Pieterse, the hijacking occurred in Khayelitsha.
“One of our inspectors arrived at home in Harare, Khayelitsha, following his shift. He was on after-hours duty.
“As he stopped at home, he was overpowered by two men with firearms. The two men threatened to shoot him if he did not hand over his vehicle.”
Pieterse added that the gunmen fled in the vehicle soon after.
“The two men fled the scene with the SPCA-branded vehicle. The police and law enforcement were immediately notified of the incident, however within a few minutes the tracking device was removed from the vehicle and we lost track of it.
“Fortunately, the inspector was unharmed and there were no animals in the vehicle.”
He added that the incident has left the inspector in shock.
“The inspector is still in shock and is going for therapy. He was previously robbed at gunpoint of his belongings. This has now taken its toll. The vehicle has not yet been recovered.”
In a social media plea, the animal welfare organisation asked the public to look out for the stolen vehicle.
“We are calling on the public to keep an eye out for one of our Nissan NP200 bakkies with registration number: CAA237345
“Our inspector was hijacked in Khayelitsha at gunpoint and the vehicle was taken a short while ago. The inspector is thankfully safe and unharmed.”
Anyone with information can call our emergency number on 083 326 1604.
“We would like to thank the City of Cape Town law enforcement and Khayelitsha police for their swift response.”
Meanwhile social media users reacted with disbelief.
Jean Stubbs wrote: “Totally shocking and abhorrent! Unfortunately there is an element of ruthless, savage and diabolical people who have no regard or respect for anyone or anything. Thank goodness the inspector is safe and unharmed and hopefully recovers soon from this traumatic experience.”
Ronel Bronkhorst commented: “Absolutely shocking! This upsets me so much!”
Taryn Ashleigh Boyce wrote: “It’s so sad that trackers don’t work anymore because they know how to remove them. Sending strength to the inspector involved.”
