Crime in short
Once again there was a wide range of crimes reported to the Graaff-reinet SAPS in the last week.
Nearly all of these are property-related cases, including four of theft.
The first incident took place on 14 November between 08:10 and 10:20 at Spandau Secondary School. According to the complainant, who is a learner at the school, she placed her cell phone in her schoolbag while she wrote exams, and someone took the phone out of her bag without her knowledge. The value of the phone is R2800.
Sometime between 11:00 and 13:00 on 9 November, the suspect did not scan all the items “bought” by a customer. This incident took place in Shoprite. The value of the items not scanned is R1966, and the suspect is known, but not yet arrested.
According to the complainant in the next case, the door to the girls’ bathroom at Ryneveld Primary School was removed sometime between 11:00 on 15 November and 11:16 the next day. The value of the door is R800. There are no known suspects at this stage.
In the final theft case, a man left his friends in his room in Reinet Park and went to the bathroom. When he went back, he noticed that his cell phone, valued at R2 000, was missing. This happened at about 16:20 on 7 November.
One vehicle was stolen in the last week, between 22:00 on 14 November and 07:00 the next day, from Olivier Dippenaar Street. The vehicle, a bakkie, was parked by the owner in his driveway, in front of the garage, with all doors locked and windows closed. When he went outside the next morning, he discovered that his vehicle was missing. The value of the vehicle is R65 000.00.
Once again, a cellphone has been stolen from a parked car. A vehicle parked outside Pep Stores in Caledon Street was broken into soon after 13:20 on 16 November while the driver went to do shopping. When she returned a little later on, she saw that the driver’s side has been broken into, and a wallet containing cash as well as a cell phone were missing. The total value of the items stolen amounts to R5350.
There was an attempted business burglary between 17:00 on 14 November and 07:30 the next day. The suspect or suspects tried to force open the burglar door of Venter’s Butchery in the Industrial Area, but could not get in.
Two residential burglaries were reported, one in Kroonvale and one in Umasizakhe. In the first, in Kroonvale, the resident went out for the night at 18:45 on 16/1. When he woke up the next morning at 08:40, he found that the back door had been broken to gain entrance to the premises. Several sound systems and televisions were missing, with a total value of R100 500.
In the second incident, the complainant left his home in Umasizakhe at 09:00 on 17 November and everything was locked and in order. When he got home, he went straight to bed and did not notice anything missing. When he woke up at 07:00 the next day, he found that his house had been broken into. Chairs, speakers, shoes and a solar panel, with a combined value of R1 040, were missing. There is a possible suspect, but the case is still under investigation.
Investigations continue into two cases of stock theft, both involving sheep.
The first incident took place between 11:00 on 13 November and 11:00 the next day at a municipal field. According to the complainant, the suspect or suspects took two of his sheep that had been grazing at the field. The value of the sheep was given as R3 500.
Three merino sheep to the value of R20 200 were stolen from the camp at Rondefontein Farm during the period between 15 September and 15 October.
A case of common robbery (i.e. with no weapon) was opened after an incident in umasizakhe on 15 November. The complainant was on his way home at 18:20 when two men, known to him, approached him and hit him with their fists, before taking his cell phone and ID document. The value of the items taken amounts to R1240. The suspects are known, but not yet arrested, as the case is still under investigation.
A knife was used to threaten the victim in the next case of robbery. This took place in Kroonvale on 18 November, between 12:00 and 13:00. The complainant was on his way home when the suspect called him. When the complainant reached the suspect, the suspect produced a knife and then took the complainant’s tablet and cash, total value R1400. Once again the suspect is known but has not yet been arrested.
A person has been arrested for shoplifting after an incident in Jet Stores on 17 November, at 11:20.
The complainant went outside the shop to fetch a trolley, and when he came back, he noticed the suspect carrying body lotions to the value of R200 which had not been paid for.
The final case in Graaff-reinet for the week is one of fraud. According to the complainant, the suspect took his bank card and withdrew an amount of R5000 in Church Street. The incident took place at 11:00 on 18 November. The suspect is unknown, and no information has been given as to how the suspect got possession of complainant’s bank card.
There were four cases opened by the Willowmore police, including two of residential burglary.
In the first, the complainant left his home at 18:30 on 15 November, and when he returned at 19:30, he found that a window was open and a cell phone and money were missing.
The total value is R5009. There are no known suspects at this stage.
The second incident occurred in Hillview. The complainant visited the house at Hillview on 16 November at 08:00 and everything was in order.
When he again visited the house at the same time the next day, he found that it had been broken into. Entrance was gained through the ceiling, and a DVD player was taken, with a value of R2500.
There was also a case of stock theft, which took place between 16:30 on 11 November and 09:30 on 13 November at the farm Mordale. According to the complainant, the workers were looking for missing sheep, and they found three stomachs and two carcasses.
The value of the sheep is R6000.
The last case is of theft from a motor vehicle, which took place in Grootrivier Road, sometime between 2 November and 14 November.
According to the complainant, he had left his tractor at the premises, and when he returned, the top link of the tractor had been stolen. The missing part is worth R700.
In a meeting held with representatives of the Department of Public Works on 13 November, Ward 5 councillor Glenda Mackelina was assured that construction would resume on Asherville Secondary and Lingcom Primary schools in the new year.
The professional team for the project was appointed in 2015, and construction got underway in March this year.
Payments were received for the professional services on a regular basis up until April 2017, when payments stopped.
In May, the architects notified the relevant departments that they would suspend their services if payment was not received forthwith, and at the end of June, the architects walked off site.
The other professionals followed soon after. Around the middle of August, the contractors had no option but to stop working, as they had run out of information as to what needed to be done next, due to the professionals leaving the site.
Despite local rumours to the contrary, the contractors had in fact been paid fully up until the time that they were forced to stop work on 22 August, according to the architects. For some of those involved, including the architect and the rest of the professional team, no payment was received for over 18 months. The main contractor has now been paid, and this should soon filter down so that local subcontractors can be paid. In the meantime, since August, the contractors have had to lay off workers.
“Apart from the devastating impact on the professional team and contractors, the children, teachers and the community are suffering the consequences of gross non-compliance,” said architect Albrecht Herholdt.
The situation at the schools now is untenable. Lingcom Primary buildings are very old prefabs, and the structure is literally falling apart. According to Cllr Mackelina, the front two parts of the building were broken off back in March, and now the building is open to the elements.
“The school is on