Scientists tell us that eggs are good for us. They provide us with an easy source of several B vitamins, including vitamins B2, B5, and B12. All these nutrients have several functions in the body, including maintaining healthy skin and hair.

But two recent incidents in Gqeberha show that an egg or six can even help when facing a possible criminal!

“I heard the story when I hosted a personal safety workshop on Secretaries Day this month. One of the women in attendance told me how she remembered me telling a workshop two years earlier to always remain calm when you come face to face with a criminal. This lady then told me how she used this advice a few days earlier,” says Bernadette Nel-Naude, Gqeberha branch manager at Fidelity ADT.

According to her story, she was driving from the shops and was dropping a friend at home. She saw an unidentified person on the side of the road visibly pointing at her, and she realised that something bad was about to happen.

“She remembered my advice about not panicking. Reaching over to her seat to grab her phone, she found a tray of eggs she had just purchased. The unknown suspect was visibly nervous, and the lady started to pelt him with eggs, which caused him to scramble and run away quickly. Talk about cracking under pressure,” says Nel-Naude.

But that’s not the end of the story.

“The lady explained that she went to the shops to buy replacements for the eggs she used to scare off the first suspect. When she arrived at a nearby convenience store, she found herself in the middle of an armed robbery being committed. Again using my advice to always remain calm, she jumped into action again and egg-sactly like before, she pelted the armed robbers with eggs until they fled the scene. Clearly, these crooks were not egg-specting an egg-citing counterattack,” says Nel-Naude.

“We certainly don’t encourage members of the public to get involved in crime fighting, and it is never a good idea to confront suspects, especially if they are armed. I am, however, happy to see that she remembered how important it is to remain calm whenever something like this happens to you.

“Crime fighting is not always all it’s cracked up to be. But yolk-ing aside, we thank the residents of Gqeberha who work with us and the SAPS to keep our town safe. It’s teamwork that will ensure success, and it’s an egg-cellent way to keep the sunny side up. After all, no one wants to be caught with egg on their face!” says Nel-Naude.

• Pictured is Bernadette Nel-Naude and Susan Viljoen with the egg she brough to the workshop, as a small token of appreciation.