THE MOST HATED BAKKIE IN CAPE TOWN
On Saturday afternoon, at around 15h30, a group of young men in a white bakkie (that’s a “pick-up” or a “ute” for our foreign readers) called a Big Issue vendor over to their stationary vehicle at a traffic light in central Cape Town.
They then allegedly poured acid water all over her, and her wares.
This, from the Big Issue website.
The Big Issue was notified that at approximately 17h30 yesterday (Saturday 11 September 2010) a group of men driving a white bakkie CA568 413 allegedly called over one of our vendors on the corner of Hans Strydom and Eastern Boulevard, Cape Town CBD and threw water over her. There are witnesses to the incident and a photo of the men in the bakkie was taken.
The vendor was subsequently identified as Florence Godonwana, a single mother of three, who has decided to lay charges of crimen injuria against the alleged perpetrators. The Big Issue’s Social Development department will be assisting her to do this and supporting her throughout. The people who witnessed the incident have also indicated they will offer her their full support in terms of acting as witnesses and, if necessary, testifying in court.
This isn’t the first time that an incident like this has happened. Big Issue vendors suffer a dazzlingly creative array of abuses on a daily basis. Unfortunately for these gallant chaps, the Cape Argus News Editor Natasha Joseph happened to be in the vehicle behind them.
She snapped a photo on her camera phone, and tweeted both the shot and details of the incident on her Twitter feed.
And then all hell broke loose. These guys are the most hunted individuals in the city of Cape Town. ETV news is on this, the papers are on this, Cape Town tweeps are on this. Blogs are going nuts.
Gentleman of CA 568 413, the Internet will find you. You should never have messed with Florence.
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24 Comments
oolex
13 Sep 2010
What a bunch of complete asshats.
PB
13 Sep 2010
These fools need to be found and beaten.
Joris
13 Sep 2010
Pathetic behaviour
Kirsty
13 Sep 2010
Sis!!! These people need to be thrown out of the gene pool…
Jack
13 Sep 2010
Fitting punishment?
- Pay her average income for a year?
- Spend a week selling Big Issue at same traffic lights. All proceeds to victim?
- Community Service?
Classy
13 Sep 2010
So what?
They just doing what secretly the majority of motorists would love to do to not only big issue vendors but coathanger, black bag, sunglasses and cellphone charger “agents”. They are irritating and we wonder why the pedestrian mortality rate is so high in this country? Because you have to dodge all these societal drains just to get through a robot!
silverstreak
(@) 13 Sep 2010
Wow, you are classy, Classy. Good luck in the real world there buddy. Let's hope that you never suffer the anguish of literally considering any option you can think of to make ends meet. I'm not sure if you'd be able to handle a paradigm shift like that.
habit47
13 Sep 2010
4chan, round 3.
Raven
13 Sep 2010
Classy, you obviously have no family or children to support or you have a really well paying job where you have no worries about what you or your family may or may not be eating tonight. I too am a motorist and find these vendours irritating at times but they too have to earn a living to support their families. Maybe you should try it some time and see just how degrading it is to have to show your fac to the world and basically “beg” someone to help you earn an income. You are stupid and your thinking is pathetic. I hope these men are found and dealt with accordingly. They should finance florence and her family for the next year at least for what they have done….. what if it had been acid?? Think about it being one of your OWN family members next time you idiots!!!!!
moo
13 Sep 2010
classy is an absolute knob… or he’s bating us. Either way, he’s a knob. @silverstreak: well said
Paul
13 Sep 2010
This can only be an inside provoke to generate hits (which is pretty sad considering the topic) because i cannot believe that someone would condone throwing acid in another persons face.
silverstreak
(@) 13 Sep 2010
Buckers, are you talking about the comment from "Classy"? Not sure if you noticed, but there were already well over 40 tweets by the time Classy rocked up, guy. So...No, that wasn't an "inside" to generate hits. I think the story's doing that pretty well just by itself. And I don't think Classy did actually condone throwing acid in someone's face, though I wouldn't put it past him or her. Keep it real, guy. SS
Pete VC
13 Sep 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa9s4zmLdhw
RV
13 Sep 2010
So did the person driving or owner the vehicle throw the water or the guys on the back? If it was the latter, why should the owner / driver be hung out to dry? he may or may not have known what his asshole friends were doing in the back!
just saying!
Tony
13 Sep 2010
@ Pete VC
Thanks for telling Richard’s story Pete. I’m no bleeding-heart, but the empathy generated from anecdotes like this is such a great panacea for the indifference or irritation that so many of us show towards car-guards, street vendors and beggars.
Keep up the good work!
RollingStone
13 Sep 2010
What a complete bunch of wankers. I just wish I was well built, had fantastic street fighting abilities and was behind them in the traffic.
Paul
14 Sep 2010
Okay, my apologies I do not know why my mind read acid into water, it could be a throw back to Rhodes trips or images of other places on the planet where such atrocities take place. Still it`s all she`s got and an asshole thing to do.
Classy
14 Sep 2010
Please dont get me wrong here.
I can relate to what this “tax paying and revenue generating” “member” of society has gone through.
About 5 years ago I was driving down Sea Point main road in my MGTF (soft-top convertible) when some social miscreants threw a bucket of water off their balcony above the robot where I was stopped. It wet Charles in the passenger seat completely and a fair bit myself. His suede leather jacket was ruined.
To my credit, I just changed my clothes when I got home and I didnt ask for anyones sympathy. All I asked for was an apple martini when I got charles home and out of his wet clothes and into his work uniform.
Schalk
14 Sep 2010
c’mon seriously? Does nobody know that street vending(as in this case) is illegal.
Schalk
14 Sep 2010
oh and I’m with Classy on this one.
Ladijane
14 Sep 2010
Being mean to someone just for a laugh is the same thing as being a bully at school, and no-one liked “that” guy!
I agree that some of these guys at the intersections can be anoying, especially when they wont take a polite “no” for an answer, but does that make it okay to retaliate in any way we want to? I dont think these guys gave this lady any thought or they would have realised that their stupid prank left someone feeling hurt and dejected.
iboota
15 Sep 2010
I nominate schalk and “classy” to do some community service.
The Big Issue is a non-profit nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that publishes a general interest magazine every 21 days. The Big Issue is also a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO)
The Big Issue is a job-creation programme that has organised a vendor sales operation for unemployed, homeless and socially excluded adults.
This initiative is backed-up by a social development programme that provides vendor support, including vocational, life and business skills training and guidance counselling.
Critical to its job creation function is The Big Issue philosophy that actively encourages and equips vendors to “move on” from the project and into mainstream society.
This is one street vendor that I don’t mind supporting.
mike
15 Sep 2010
would you rather people sell big issue on the street, along with cell phone chargers, plastic hangers, and black bags, etc… or just simply ask you for money, or worse, not ask you for money, but break into your car and house at night? That’s the simple choice. Never begrudge someone trying to make an honest living, and remember that you may not always be as fortunate as you are today.
Justice
15 Sep 2010
Ya no well fine…but what about listening to Radio?…from another country?…in your car?
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