"To Protect My Babies": Pinetown Father Recalls Terrifying Hijacking as Fundraiser Grows

• Sidney Hill, a Pinetown father and bodyguard, was ambushed during a hijacking while his children were with him
• Hill suffered shrapnel injuries to his arm during the terrifying ordeal but said protecting his children was all that mattered
• A BackaBuddy fundraiser for the family raised R368,130 of its R500,000 goal from 868 donors across South Africa

Sidney Hill, a Pinetown father and operations manager at PCS, is speaking out after a violent hijacking that left him injured and his children traumatised.

In a street-side interview with Highway Mail journalist Sanelisiwe Tsinde, Hill recounted the moment an ordinary day turned into a life-threatening ordeal. He said his daughter came to him asking to go buy milk and bread. Minutes later, the family was out when Hill noticed headlights in the distance. The lights stopped, then moved towards their vehicle. That was when things turned dangerous. Describing the chaotic moments of the attack, Hill recalled:

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"As the door opened, I came up and they started shooting."

Hill took shrapnel to his arm during the incident and sustained another injury, though he said he had since recovered fully. What stayed with him was not the pain, but what his children witnessed.

A father who fights for his family

Hill made clear that his training as a bodyguard meant little in that moment compared to his role as a father. He said he does this kind of work every day, but seeing his children watch it happen to him was something else entirely. He said:

"My whole, everything that happened, was to protect my babies. I love them, and I will fight for them to the end."

The Pinetown community and people across South Africa and the world rallied around the family after the incident. A BackaBuddy fundraiser for the Hill family reached R383,000, as of the time of publishing, moving towards a R500,000 goal. Hill thanked every contributor, no matter the amount. He said:

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"The ten rand, the twenty rand, the fifty rand - it just means so, so, so very much to me and my children. Thank you."

View the Facebook video here:

South Africa reacts to Sidney Hill's story

South Africans who watched the interview on the page were deeply moved by Hill's courage and his openness about what his family endured:

Sizakele Hlongwane said:

"Well done, Sir"

Lungi Biyase commented:

"Well done Mr Hills. You are a protector, the real father."

Ruby Theron Kruger said:

"We proud of you for protecting your family while risking your own life. May the funds grow to cover all expenses and counselling"

Ilonka Grobbelaar wrote:

"Respect Sir. You truly are a bodyguard"

Delores Jones shared:

"I have been following this incident since the attack occurred and I'm in agreement with the outcome and contributed to the fundraiser"

Bruce Kirton added:

"Can you imagine one day that all fathers said enough is enough, and fathers stopped listening to politicians"

More Briefly News stories on Sidney Hill

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Hillcrest hijacking survivor raises over R258k as donors rally behind single dad

• Sidney Hill, the KZN father shot twice fighting off hijackers, reveals his family’s trauma, legal and counselling costs, and false claims circulating online.
• Sidney Hill raised R172,300 after shooting an armed hijacker during a KZN ambush, with funds supporting legal costs and his children's trauma counselling.
• Hillcrest single dad Sidney Hill has raised over R258k from donors after surviving a hijacking shooting, with funds needed for legal costs and children's counselling.

Source: Briefly News