South Africans Rally for Brave Hero Who Tackled Phone Thief
By the end of today, South Africans may have changed the destiny of one brave man thanks to social media and the kindness of many of its users… including a Facebook page called “I Have a Name”! The Facebook page posted a message about Eustance Maluleke, a taxi passenger who jumped to help a woman whose mobile […]
By the end of today, South Africans may have changed the destiny of one brave man thanks to social media and the kindness of many of its users… including a Facebook page called “I Have a Name”!
The Facebook page posted a message about Eustance Maluleke, a taxi passenger who jumped to help a woman whose mobile phone had just been stolen, whilst waiting at a Zandspruit traffic light, last Saturday.
The woman, Tracy Hesslewood, wrote to “I Have a Name” to commend Maluleke for his heroism after he heard her cries for help, and not only jumped out of the taxi he was in but sprinted after the thief, tackling him to the ground and retrieving Tracy’s phone.
“I Have a Name” met up with Maluleke, who said: “When I heard Tracy cry I just ran, but once I had safely gotten the phone back, the men standing around watching me said,’ You should keep it, it is your lucky day!’
“I am out of work, and an iphone is a valuable thing… but I’m a Christian and I told them, ‘That would not be right, this phone is not mine to keep. I’m going to try to find the lady who owns it’.
“The men thought I was foolish for wanting to give the phone back. Just then the phone rang and it was Tracy. I told her I had her phone and met up with her to give it back.”
It turns out Maluleke has two young children and dreams of completing his matric. He has a code 10 and 14 with PDP driver’s license and worked as a driver for three years until his contract expired, making him unemployed.
He told the facebook page, “I know my way around Joburg really well. I would love to get back behind the steering wheel and earn a living for my family.”
The page then reached out to its followers – and Uber – to help “a true South African hero who needs a job”… and all morning offers have been pouring in.
In reply to one of the many people who wrote in with job recommendations, offers and thanks for the man’s heroism in restoring faith in our fellow man, “I Have a Name” replied: “I suspect he may have a few options to choose from by the end of the day!”
#SouthAfricansMakingSouthAfricansProud!