“Beyond the Call of Duty”: Stranded Girls Saved by Officers after Losing a Tyre on Highway
- Zoë Salzwedel and Anaïs Strauss were travelling along the N3 when they lost their tyre
- They called the police and soon two officers from the Heidelberg police station arrived and saved the day
- Zoë could not thank the two gentlemen who went above and beyond the call of duty to help them
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Zoë Salzwedel shared her amazing experience with the South African Police Service in the #ImStaying group on Facebook.
She and her friend Anaïs Strauss were travelling along the N3 late at night when their tyre burst at around 22:00. Zoë is a wedding photographer and Anaïs works with her, they were on their way back from a wedding.
Source: Facebook
Anaïs and Zoë called their family members to let them know what had happened but they were at least 35 mins away from them.
Zoë realised that there were a number of police stations nearby, she decided to phone the Heidelberg station.
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Zoë called the police who reassured her that help would be there soon. She thanked the person she spoke with her, their calm and reassuring voice helped her not to panic.
17 minutes later help arrived in the form of Sgt Sithaba and Constable Thabethe from the Heidelberg police station.
Zoë cannot thank the two officers enough for keeping them safe and helping them get back on the road. She said the two gentlemen went beyond the call of duty.
Briefly News asked Zoë about her experience, this is what she said about the officers who helped her:
"They were calm, kind and very helpful. After hearing horror stories from fellow photographers of police harassment, we were pleasantly surprised by their response time and the fact that they really just wanted to serve and protect."
We asked her if she had advice for other women travelling late at night:
"Please, never ever ever travel with your purse or any important belongings on your seats.
Always have your phone charged. Please never leave the house without a charged phone and a charger.
Share your live location with a loved one. Especially when traveling at night.
Stay calm."
Keep your doors locked.
Keep your hazards on when stuck next to the road to ensure somebody doesn't drive into you.
Stay vigilant and try to not get distracted by your phone. Only use it to keep in touch or to phone the police.
And BE POLITE when speaking to the officers. Answer any questions they might have. They need as much as possible info to be able to attend to your needs. If you are calm and polite, they'll be calm and polite."
Finally, when asked what she thought about how she felt about the police and the country:
"After last night I definitely changed my perspective about our officers in blue. Not all cops are bad cops. And where there's still good people/cops, there's always hope. I truly do believe that groups like #ImStaying can make a difference.
The impact of people just giving their best and trying to be kind will change the direction of a country. You just need to see the good around you and thank people for doing good."
Here is Zoë's story in her own words from her post on social media:
"I would like to take the opportunity to give a shoutout to these two policemen and the #HeidelbergSAPS for your assistance tonight.
A HUGE thank you to Sgt Sithaba and Constable Thabethe from the SAPS in #Heidelberg. You went beyond the call of duty to assist myself and a friend next to the N3 at 22h15 tonight. Thanks for attending to us and keeping us safe. Words can not convey my gratitude.
I'd also like to thank the officer who answered my call - mam, thanks for keeping us calm and assuring us that help is on the way.
This truly was my #ImStaying moment."
Source: Facebook
Social media users took to the comment section to share their reactions
Oscar Dunn:
"Very well done guys...that could have ended very badly....keep up the good work...thanks and praise must be given where due.."
Fernando John Engelbrecht:
"There are many good policemen and women out there and this shows. Thank you to these two wonderful men in blue. SAPS need many more of you. Love this post, thank you for sharing."
Jane Hopkins:
"To all the wonderful Police out there, thank you for all you do and may you have a safe and happy Christmas."
Jeremy Thomas:
"Fantastic to see that there are good policemen and women out there. It gives us great hope."
JMPD copper helping stranded lady change tyre hailed a 'hero' by Saffas
Earlier, Briefly News reported that in an act that may well have won him the hearts of Saffas on social media, pictures of a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer helping a woman stranded on the side of the road with a tyre change have cropped up.
Heading online to sing the unidentified cop's praises, @KingDon_za shared several images that show the officer on his haunches, while using a hydraulic jack to lift the woman's car.
"We still got good men with great loving hearts out there ladies," the caption read as a nod to the do-gooder traffic cop.
The reactions to the tweet, which attracted nearly 3 500 likes, bordered on funny and pessimistic, despite the civic duty on display.
Source: Briefly News
