Mystery Santa clears 260 PEP lay-bys worth R132 000

CHRISTMAS came early for hundreds of shoppers in Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape after a mystery do-gooder quietly settled every outstanding layby at the town’s PEP store.

It's a day that 260 families will never forget.

It started as a perfectly ordinary day at PEP until a man walked in, asked how many lay-bys were unpaid, and promptly paid them all. 

R132 500 later, every single account was settled.

“We were taken completely by surprise,” says PEP chief marketing executive Beyers van der Merwe. “This anonymous Lay-by Buddy simply asked how many unpaid lay-bys we had in the store. When we checked the books, we had 260 unpaid lay-bys. Then, just like that, he paid them all off.”

According to PEP, in the current tough economic climate, a lay-by is a useful payment plan that allows its customers to plan for the future, and follow a disciplined strategy to secure essentials without incurring debt. And now, those still trying to figure out how to pay their debt in Aberdeen, don't need to worry at all. 

“This level of human kindness reminds us that generosity lands powerfully when it connects to people’s real needs – the lay-bys were for school items, baby clothing and other essentials. This gesture has given 260 families the dignity of taking their items home when they perhaps least expected it – just in time for the festive season,” said Van der Merwe. 

The organisation says that while the “incredible” donation happened in one specific store, through its PEP Lay-by Buddy initiative, anyone can become a good samaritan and help others, through random acts of kindness.

Van der Merwe said the system allows anyone to help pay off someone else’s lay-by, and you don’t need to be a mystery millionaire to be a PEP Lay-by buddy. 

“Whether you have a little or a lot, you can make a difference for another person. Because buddies don’t let buddies wait.” 

To become a lay-by buddy, you can make a payment from as little as R3 at any PEP store across the country and you can make an online contribution starting from R20. 

“To the mystery Lay-by Buddy: Thank you for surprising us and, more importantly, helping those who need it most. It makes a massive difference,” the company said.