From SA roadside rescue to wartime message

An incident that unfolded on a remote Eastern Cape road four years ago came full circle this week when a South African police officer reached out to an Israeli father with a simple message of concern. This reignited a story of fear, survival, and extraordinary kindness. 

“Hello, sir. I hope and pray you’re still well under the situation going on in your country. I’m one of those two policemen in South Africa, Port Elizabeth, who assisted you while you had a tyre problem,” wrote Sergeant Sithembele Kholiwe of the Public Order Police unit in a WhatsApp message on Monday, 16 March. 

For the father*, now living through the realities of war in Israel, the message was unexpected and deeply emotional. 

Responding to Kholiwe’s message, he wrote, “My dear brother! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. This is amazing. We keep remembering you and how grateful we were to meet you. I hope I can return the favour in the future and it will be my honour.” 

Kholiwe replied, “Thank you, sir, to you also. I’m glad to see you’re still doing fine. May G-d be with you.” 

The father told the SA Jewish Report, “It came out of nowhere! Of course we remember them. Every time we tell the story of our wonderful time in South Africa, this is what the kids remember. 

“We are in and out of bomb shelters all the time now,” he said. “It has been a difficult period. I’ve received messages from many people around the world, but this one touched me in a way I cannot explain.” 

This interaction transported the Israeli father back to August 2022 when a dream family holiday nearly turned into a nightmare. 

The family of six – the parents and their four children – had arrived in Gqeberha for a three-week road trip, planning to travel along the coast to Cape Town. Their itinerary included a visit to Addo Elephant National Park, with a stopover for their first night at a nearby lodge. 

Relying on GPS directions, they were guided off the main N2 route and onto the R335 via Motherwell, a decision that would place them in danger. The tar was uneven and damaged, with potholes. Driving became increasingly difficult. Motorists are advised to avoid the R335 via Motherwell due to safety concerns and poor road conditions. 

It wasn’t long before they experienced the first blowout. 

Before they could process what had happened, a second tyre burst. 

The father and his 18-year-old son got out of the car to assess the damage, pulling luggage from the boot to reach the spare wheel. Inside the vehicle, his wife and three daughters – aged eight, 12, and 16 – sat anxiously, watching events unfold. 

At first, they believed they could manage the situation. Their plan was simple: change one tyre, leave the second flat, and drive slowly for about 20 minutes to reach the lodge. 

“As we attempted to change the tyre, the jack snapped,” said the father. 

With two flat tyres and no working tools, the family was now completely stranded. 

Soon their car was surrounded by a small group of onlookers. 

The reality of their vulnerability began to sink in. 

Seven suitcases lay unpacked on the side of the road. As dusk approached and more strangers began gathering around them, the family grew increasingly uneasy. They hastily packed everything back into the car, abandoning any attempt to fix the vehicle, and stood outside, unsure what to do next. 

“I felt helpless,” the father told the SA Jewish Report. “I didn’t know how to protect my family. It was a moment in which anything could happen.” 

Calls to the rental company brought little comfort as help was at least an hour away. 

The tension and fear escalated. 

Then flashing blue lights appeared in the distance. 

A South African Police Service van approached at speed. 

In desperation, the father jumped into the road to stop it. 

The vehicle drove past, then suddenly braked and reversed. 

Inside were Kholiwe and his colleague, Sergeant Mzuxolile Bekwayo. 

Within moments of their arrival, the crowd dispersed. 

The officers quickly assessed the situation. Bekwayo called his wife, who arrived by vehicle carrying extra tools and a replacement jack. Working against the fading light, they managed to change one tyre using the spare. 

They loaded the mother, the children, and the suitcases into the police van and one of the officers drove them to the township, racing against time to reach a tyre repair shop before it closed. Bekwayo remained behind with the father, standing guard over the stranded vehicle. 

“It was a crazy situation. It was drizzling, I was in shorts and sandals, while my family drove off into the distance. It was like a movie,” the father said. 

A short time later, the police van returned with the repaired tyre, which they refitted. 

“Feeling shaken, I asked the officers to escort us to our lodge,” said the father. 

The police vehicle led the way along darkening roads until the family reached their destination. 

For the father, the events of that evening have never faded. 

“It was lifesaving really,” he said. 

He took the officers’ names and details and wrote letters of gratitude to their superiors. 

“We were just doing our jobs,” Kholiwe told the SA Jewish Report. “They looked like they were struggling and that area is known to be very dangerous.” 

He reached out to the father this week because he said, “He was a good guy I was thinking of him and I wanted to check up on him.” 

A South African friend of the Israeli family, Julian Ovsiowitz, told the SA Jewish Report that he remembers hearing the story when they had met in Cape Town shortly after the ordeal. “I told them they could have been headline news!” he said. “It’s remarkable that the policeman reached out this week. The South African police are slagged off and castigated daily. There are very few positive stories in the media. This is one that should be made public.” 

The father said the WhatsApp exchange carried profound meaning amid the ongoing conflict in Israel. 

Reflecting on their time in South Africa, he added that despite the frightening ordeal, the kindness they experienced left a lasting impression. “The people of South Africa are incredible, warm, kind, and willing to help,” he said. “What we experienced on that road, and throughout our trip, showed us the true heart of the country, not what you hear about in the news.” 

*The family has asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.