Limpopo-born actor, voice-over artist, and musician Fortune Thobejane, known for his role in Skeem Saam, has found himself in a troubling situation with First Help, a towing company, following a car accident in Johannesburg.
Thobejane recounted to Sunday World that on the night of April 13 2025, he was involved in a collision in Hyde Park while driving his Mercedes CLK 350.
Accepted help from towing company
After sustaining minor injuries, he was rushed to Helen Joseph Hospital. Lacking medical aid or insurance, he relied on public healthcare. He also accepted an offer from First Help to tow his car to his home in Orlando, Soweto.
“In pain and in the ambulance, I signed their invoice, agreeing to pay R2,500 for towing,” Thobejane explained.
However, upon his discharge the following morning, Thobejane discovered his car was not at his home. Instead, First Help had stored it at their Kempton Park facility, claiming he now owed R6,500 due to daily storage fees. Struggling financially as a call actor paid monthly, Thobejane borrowed funds to settle the amount. He was, hoping to retrieve his vehicle quickly.
Storage fee jumped from R2 500 to R6 500
“They set a Thursday deadline, but when I called, they said staff had left for the Easter weekend. This meant more storage fees. She told me there were terms and conditions [at the back of] the invoice, which I was not aware of. I almost died reading them,” he said.
When Thobejane visited First Help’s premises, he faced further shocks. The keys to his Mercedes were missing, and personal belongings inside the car had been stolen.
The company allegedly threatened to auction his car at a nearby facility if he failed to pay. Thobejane questioned how the car was moved within their premises without the keys. This raised suspicions about the company’s practices.
Police failed to intervene
“I tried opening a case with the police, but they said it’s complex, and suggested I get a lawyer. I do not even know how much I owe right now because of the ridiculous storage charges,” Thobejane added.
Sunday World reached out to First Help for comment. A media department receptionist, who declined to provide her name, confirmed the car was in their possession. However, she refused to elaborate, inquiring if Thobejane would pay for the story’s coverage.
