Replace journalist’s stolen equipment

While on assignment covering violent protests in eShowe in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, my backpack was stolen out of a car from the scene where a farmhouse had been torched. We had found ourselves caught in the fray between a community on the warpath and police who were desperately trying to protect property.

The backpack was my on-the-go toolkit, with a mac book, gimbal [phone stabiliser] and a host of other tools of the trade. These were my personal items that I used every day. I consider myself lucky that they are just "things" and that no one was hurt, and I am trying to take solace in the fact that whoever took them likely needed them more than I do.

That said, these tools were amassed at a significant personal cost and I am not in a position to replace them. Often journalists will place themselves in harms way to tell the stories that matter. I have been gassed, shot and and assaulted in the decade I have been doing this. I have never had a problem with the hazards of this job because it is my passion, and I firmly believe that we play a valuable role in society.

Any help would go a long way. Help me replace what was stolen and allow me to tell the stories that matter.