Fourways-based non-profit organisation Daily Bread has been in the past two years feeding the needy people of Alexandra every weekend, however, the recent robbery incidents have forced organisation volunteers to choose between their lives and feeding people. This was after one of the directors and dedicated volunteer at Daily Bread, Lynda Shackleford was robbed at gunpoint twice in Alexandra Township in a space of four months.
“On the 28th of August 2021, as I was on my way out of Alexandra, I was almost hijacked on First Avenue after delivering food at the Roman Catholic Church. On my way, I met an elderly woman who asked me if there was still food available and I opened my window to say to her yes.” She said before she closed the window, she was greeted by the barrel of a gun. “The guy who pointed the gun at me ordered me to hand over my car keys and cellphone but I refused and drove forward, hit the truck that was in front of my car and the guy disappeared from the scene.”
Shackleford said because of trauma she decided to drive out of Alexandra after the incident and went to Sandton Police Station where she opened the case of attempted hijacking. On January 5 Shackleford suffered another attempted robbery as she was driving on Third Avenue. “This time a guy in his late twenties jumped into the middle of the road and pointed a gun at me. I drove straight ahead and tried to hit him with the car but he jumped out of the road. This time I didn’t report it to the police,” she said. Shackleford, however, vowed that her organisation will not stop feeding and helping the poor because of criminals who want to harm their work.
“We will not stop helping those in need because of selfish and self-centred people who are on a mission to stop the good work we do in Alexandra. We will try to set up a meeting with Alexandra Police Station management in order to find safe ways to do our job.”
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