Moses Khwene is a landscaper in Rivonia who experienced a life-threatening situation last week.
On Saturday, Khwene was hijacked on his way to his home in Heidelberg, south of Johannesburg. He was pulled over on the N3 by men who appeared to be policemen driving a Golf 7.
These men held him at gunpoint and drove off with his Toyota Corolla.
After waiting on the highway overnight, he was eventually assisted the next day, and police recovered his vehicle — but it was badly damaged.
Moses does not deserve this. He does so much for our community.
Community leader Amy Harrison decided to start a crowdfunding initiative to repair the vehicle — and it has already accumulated R20,000.
"Moses does not deserve this. He does so much for our community. Please show Moses that, as he cleans up the mess of the community, that we can come alongside him and clean up the mess," Harrison said in a donation post.
Khwene works alongside Rivonia resident and environmentalist Dan Hunt in keeping the area clean. He is part of a team that has spent more than 10 years keepingtheSandspruit clean from Kelvin Drive northwards, removing alien vegetation and litter, planting hundreds of indigenous trees and building benches and bridges for the enjoyment of residents of the area.
The landscaper says he is really overwhelmed by the love he has received from the community.
"I appreciate that from the community; they show me the love and everything, I am so glad they helped me to pay the money to help me fix the car," he told HuffPost.
Khwene has sold off his old car, and will use the money from the sale along with the funds raised by the community to buy another.