Good Samaritan clears 260 PEP lay-bys worth R132,000

Christmas came early for hundreds of shoppers in Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape this week.

A kind stranger made an ordinary day unforgettable after paying off 260 unpaid lay-bys amounting to R132,500.

The mystery person reportedly walked into the shop and asked how many lay-by accounts were outstanding, said consumer journalist Wendy Knowler.

Without hesitation, every account was settled anonymously.

RELATED: WATCH: Good Samaritan postman goes viral for taking washing off line during delivery in the rain

The act of generosity has been part of Pepkor’s Lay-by Buddy initiative, which allows donors to pay off lay-by balances anonymously, either in-store or online.

It even allows donors to choose the province and category of goods they’d like to support.

The idea originated from a similar incident in 2019 when another Samaritan in Mossel Bay paid off the lay-bys. 

“That brings the total to R3.6 million that has been donated since 2020 anonymously via their Lay-by Buddy initiative,” said Knowler.

To listen to Knowler in conversation with 702 and CapeTalk’s Mandy Wiener, click the audio player below: