When Jacqui Jorge was hijacked at gunpoint in Johannesburg, fear could have swallowed her whole. Instead, calm took over and strangers stepped forward to help her through.
Johannesburg, South Africa (28 September 2025) – Crime is a reality in South Africa, but even in the darkest moments, extraordinary light can break through. For paediatric occupational therapist Jacqui Jorge, a terrifying car hijacking turned into something far more powerful… a reminder of human kindness, resilience and the helpers who step forward when they’re needed most.
On the 23rd of September 2025, Jacqui was forced off the highway onto London Road when traffic was blocked. What followed was the kind of nightmare we all fear. She was held up at gunpoint, pulled into her own car and surrounded by four men demanding her belongings.
Instead of breaking down, Jacqui did something remarkable. She prayed aloud for protection and says that she felt an immediate sense of calm.
“The driver had heard my prayer. They asked for my phone and passcode and bank cards. They were distressed and loud and impatient. I told them I was calm and that they could calm down too in order to hear what I told them.”
Her calmness shifted the atmosphere, and in the end, the driver made a choice that changed everything… they left her and her car unharmed.
What happened next is what Jacqui remembers most: the kindness of strangers.
The Alexandra community rallied around her. Onlookers who saw the men run away came to check on her, offering their phones so she could call her husband. Another driver, who had witnessed the ordeal, followed at a safe distance to ensure she was safe and then escorted her to the police station. The detectives who received her at the station treated her with compassion and relief, glad to see she had made it out alive.
“Their generosity and kindness together with that of the detectives at the police station was not lost on me,” Jacqui explained.
Jacqui has since focused on her healing, leaning on her skills as a TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) provider and craniosacral therapist to process the trauma through bodywork, prayer and meditation. But more than anything, she has chosen gratitude – not only for her safety but for the strangers who became her helpers that day. And more so, for the man who chose to not harm her.
“I have a deep knowing that this man, with an opportunity in his life, would make a different choice, and so this is my intention for him: for the universe or God to send him a ‘coincidence’ and opportunity to make a different choice. Perhaps this is unconditional love or forgiveness. I’m not sure, but it feels true and real.”
Her experience, though frightening, has given her a gift… a deeper understanding of how healing is possible, even after trauma and how the kindness of strangers can change the trajectory of a story.
“I’m of course grateful for the outcome and so sensitive to those who don’t have such an outcome… I am 100% convinced that even if my outcome was different that I was still fully supported and not alone. I will continue to allow my body to recover and release the trauma of the experience. But I will also continue to hold gratitude for the people who helped me along the way, the support and love I have received and the gift this has given me in extending my skill in understanding the complexity of our body and how to heal and release by listening to the body’s communication.”
Her hope now is simple but profound: that sharing her journey can help others who are walking the same road towards closure, healing and light after darkness.
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