“We Respect Him”: Pinetown Father, Sidney Hill, Dubbed John Wick As Fundraiser Nears R500k

• Sidney Hill, 53, fought off armed hijackers who blocked his driveway and opened fire on his Toyota Hilux in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, with his young daughter inside
• A BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign raised over R180,000 to cover Hill's children's psychological counselling and legal consultation fees
• South Africans dubbed the father 'John Wick' and rallied behind him, reigniting a national debate about self-defence rights and violent crime

A Pinetown father has become a symbol of defiance against violent crime after he fought off a group of armed hijackers who ambushed him with his young daughter in his vehicle.

Sidney Hill, 53, was pulling out of his private property in his Toyota Hilux on 27 October 2026 when a group of armed men blocked his driveway and opened fire on the truck. With his daughter sitting beside him, Hill drew his own licensed firearm and returned fire. One of the attackers was fatally wounded; the rest fled the scene.

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The story spread rapidly across South Africa, where Hill was quickly nicknamed "John Wick" by an admiring public.

R300,000 and counting for the Hill family

Within days of the incident, a crowdfunding campaign on the BackaBuddy platform raised more than R300,000 from thousands of ordinary South Africans. The funds are directed towards private psychological support for Hill's children, who witnessed the attack, as well as legal consultation costs as authorities work through the formal investigation.

Under South African law, a fatal shooting triggers a mandatory inquest process. While private defence is a recognised legal principle, any force used must be proportional and respond to a direct, unlawful threat to life before statutory liability can be resolved.

See the original Facebook post that got South Africans talking.

Mzansi salutes the protective father

South Africans flooded the comments on the page with support for Hill:

@Warren Baker wrote:

"Don't mess with Mr Wick."

@Deon Eagle Du Randt said:

"He did the right thing. Criminals need to get the message."

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@Peter Schlebusch added:

"About time. South Africa stand up, fight back, reclaim our country and our freedom."

@Erick Mathebula declared:

"This man is a Hero. He deserves even more. Salute Sir."

@Riyaz Pietersen said:

"Because he is a Master, I wish I can stand in front of him and salute him and shake his hand. He's a hero and beyond. Mr Hill, jy is 'n yster meneer [you are a steel man]."

@Mashaba Mashaba wrote:

"Let the man go, it was self-defence. It was either them or his family. So the question is, who was supposed to die, robbers or innocent lives? Come on now, this is ridiculous."

@Phumzile Tshabangu simply said:

"We respect him."

More on Sidney Hill and the Pinetown hijacking

• Briefly News recently reported that Sidney Hill recalled the terrifying hijacking as a fundraiser for his children’s counselling and legal costs grew towards R500,000.
• South Africans rallied behind hijacking survivor Sidney Hill, with donations pouring in to support his legal costs and his children’s trauma counselling.
• A 35-year-old suspect was arrested after detectives linked him to the viral Pinetown hijacking and allegedly found him with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Source: Briefly News