Car thieves target parking lot at train station

AS A pensioner living on a shoestring budget, Walter Reynolds could not afford to buy another car. But when he stepped off the train to find his parking bay outside Heathfield station empty, he thought he was left with no other choice.

However, quick detective work led him back to his vehicle, which he found on a nearby street. It had been stripped of its hubcaps and headlights, but was still in working condition. Repairs to the car have set him back over R3 000.

Reynolds, 73, who lives in Retreat, had parked his car outside the station on February 2. It is something he often does as he uses the train to travel around Cape Town. When he returned from his trip, his 1992 Jetta was nowhere to be seen. “I was shocked, there was just this empty bay.”

And while police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said there have only been two cars stolen from the lot, residents, security and vagrants said it happened on an almost weekly basis. And now they are calling for security to be beefed up.

Mayoral committee member for Transport for Cape Town, Brett Herron, confirmed it was city property but there were no resources to secure the facility.

“Public notice boards currently indicate that those who use the parking facility do so at their own risk.

“While we recognise the value of secure parking close to rail networks in trying to facilitate the uptake of public transport, there is unfortunately no current funding available to hire a private security service to guard the facility.”

He said the city would explore the possibility of providing security at a number of parking facilities at rail stations across Cape Town in the next financial year. – Kieran Legg