A Retreat woman was in tears on Thursday when she got the chance to meet the hero cop who saved her and a group of friends from skollies in Lavender Hill.
The woman, who asked not to be named, says if Law Enforcement Constable Jacobus Gelant had not assisted them when their Uber taxi “stalled”, they might not be alive today.
The Retreat mom says after a night out, the group took an Uber home from Ottery in the early hours of Sunday morning.
She says as they passed Lavender Hill, they got a skrik when the car stopped near an intersection known for robberies and the driver said he’d run out of petrol.
The driver stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Prince George Drive and Joe Marks Boulevard.
The woman says: “There were five guys at the robot and as the driver turned, the car went off. He just sat there calmly and said he must notify Uber. He did not start the car again.
HOT SPOT: Lavender Hill
“When the car stopped, the guys started to appear one by one out of the trees.
“They were at the left side of the car. And there was another group running over the road towards us.”
The woman and her friends started panicking and she secretly requested another Uber taxi while concealing their valuables from the skollies.
During this time, they say two police vehicles passed, but did not stop to help.
Then a Law Enforcement officer arrived and saved the day.
She says he stopped his vehicle, got out and chased the skollies away.
He helped the friends get safely into a new taxi and bought R30 petrol for the driver.
The woman contacted the Daily Voice and asked the newspaper to help her find her knight in shining armour so she could thank him personally.
Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, tracked Gelant and arranged a meet and greet in Tokai on Thursday.
Loud shrieks could be heard when Gelant was introduced to the Retreat mom.
“Yoh, I thought I was in trouble,” he said as the mom grabbed him and hugged him.
“I am so emotional, you don’t understand. My whole life flashed before me. I saw myself being robbed, raped and killed. I thought I would never see my daughter again,” the mom explained.
STREET SMART: Officer stands at his vehicle
Gelant says he had just completed his shift and was on his way to his Muizenberg home when he spotted the vehicle.
“I saw the guys running over the road and then when two of them saw me, they stopped, so I knew something was wrong,” says the constable.
After working as a prison warden for 20 years, Gelant said he “klapped the taal” to make the skollies wys that they did not want to mess with him.
“I was off duty, but I am a Law Enforcement officer and it is my job to keep people safe. It feels nice to get a thank you.”
In 2016, Gelant was named the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year when he stopped a gang fight on Muizenberg Beach.
Meanwhile, the Retreat mom has lodged a complaint against the taxi driver.
Uber has indicated that they are investigating the matter, but did not respond to further questions.