KNYSNA NEWS - One brave Knysna woman, Constance Pato, proved that anyone can be a hero when she stepped in and prevented a family from being robbed after they were in an accident on Saturday 3 August.
Pato, who lives in Nekkies, has been working in Oakhill School's tuck shop for two years and knows the face of every child that comes her way at the school. This included the three children from the Borbet family – Jean-Paul, Carl, and Emma – who along with their father Dirk had the misfortune of being involved in an accident on Knysna's infamous main road, the N2, near the TopUp Service Station intersection on 3 August.
On her way home from work, Pato witnessed the accident shortly before 19:00, but she wasn't alone as a number of other people saw it too.
"Everybody went to check on the person in the bakkie that Dirk hit, but I recognised the people in the car and quickly went over there because some people who saw the accident were trying to get into the vehicle to steal from them," Pato said.
She immediately set out to try and convince those trying to steal from the family to not do so, as she recognised one of the would-be thieves. Soon realising she wouldn't be able to hold them off on her own, Pato called her brother – who came from their home in Nekkies – to come in and help while she took care of the children, trying to reassure them that everything would be okay.
When her brother arrived, the both of them were able to hold off any criminal activity until police arrived, who then took control of the situation, Pato said. Dirk recognised Pato from the school's tuck shop, and sent a thank-you letter to her employer Jenny Burrows. "Could you please send my best regards to the lady who helped us. She supported us greatly and we felt safe all the time. Thanks again to her, we really appreciate her help," the letter read.
The Borbet family has since emigrated to Mauritius after spending two-and-a-half years in Knysna, and Pato undoubtedly gave them a very heartwarming memory to take with them.
Dirk Borbet with his three children, Carl, Emma, and Jean-Claude in front of the car involved in the accident.
When she's not saving people from thugs, Constance Pato works in Oakhill school's tuck shop.
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