Douglasdale community pitches in to help a man down on his luck
DOUGLASDALE – Halfway Toyota and the Douglasdale community once again shows their support in helping Albert Manyadze again with a car he can use for heavier piece jobs.
The community of Douglasdale has come together once again to help local Albert Manyadze, this time to repair his car.
The Fourways Review previously reported on Manyadze when he was stabbed and had his bicycle, banks cards and cell phone stolen in Diepsloot in June this year. Residents in the Fourways and Douglasdale areas came together and donated items and money for Manyadze and his family, which included a second-hand bicycle.
Penny Horwitz, who Manyadze occasionally works for, said a car that he had bought was in need of repairs since he used it to transport heavier items for paving jobs he did.
“He bought the car late 2019, but there was a problem with the water tank since it is a very old one. It was sitting for a while since it couldn’t really start,” she said.
A woman who worked with Horwitz, in telling Manyadze’s story of his robbery and people paying it forward with donations, also contributed funds towards repairing Manyadze’s car, and also got her parents involved.
“It was amazing to see people come together to help Albert again since the last time. People who helped with getting Albert’s bike and other items came through again this time,” Horwitz added.
She also played a role in getting Manyadze’s car repaired by getting in contact with the service manager at Halfway Toyota.
“He did not hesitate to help with the service of the car, and we found out there were more issues with the car, including the tyres needing to be replaced.
“He said that labour would be free of charge, but we would just have to pay for the parts needed.”
Service manager of Halfway Toyota, Willie Visser said it was the least they could do to help Manyadze.
“We service about 100 cars a day. If we can help out anyone in the community, we always try to do so. We wanted to help him [Manyadze] especially after hearing what happened to him with the mugging,” he added.
“We always try our best to get involved with the community and do our bit.”
The car took two weeks to repair and was handed over to Manyadze on 25 August.
