A family in what used to be one of Mthatha’s most affluent suburbs, is reeling with loss after thieves got away with their chromed fence and two gates valued at R89000.
The family installed the expensive fence and gates in 2014 and had not encountered any problems until last weekend.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch yesterday, pensioner Thembisa Twani, 67, of Northcrest said her 14-year-old grandson alerted her to the theft on Sunday morning.
“He woke up first and when he came knocking on my bedroom door I thought he had brought my morning coffee, only for him to tell me that the whole yard was left bare. We did not even hear anything through the night. How could we have slept through the incidentand not one of our neighbours saw anything,?” a still visibly heartbroken Twani said.
The former Mtirara Senior Primary School principal admitted that the thieves would have probably hurt her if she had tried to stop them, had she been awake at the time.
She showed the Dispatch pictures of the fence and gate, saying it had been manufactured by a Pietermaritzburg company that specialises in steel structures.
“I will never be able to replace it now because I had used some of my pension money to be able to afford it,” she said.
Twani said her yard used to be the pride of her community but now she was the talk of the town – for all the wrong reasons.
“It was beautiful and shiny. People used to stop and admire my house and now they are looking at us as though the fence was repossessed and that we struggled to pay it off.
“It’s such a cruel thing that they did,” Twani said.
She said she was not sure if this was the work of a syndicate – or a random act of thievery.
“We have heard of three houses that were also hit but in those cases they only took the gate and left the fence.
“I wish they had also taken just the one gate – even though on its own it cost about R44000, but to take everything like this,” she said.
Twani said she felt violated and was now worried about her family’s safety.
“I wake up now in the middle of night thinking I hear voices.
“This used to be such a good neighbourhood but now I am worried that they will either want to come inside the house next time.
“The garage is also exposed which means they can easily steal the car as well,” Twani said.
The pensioner said she would easily identify the gate even if it was already put up at another home, as she had designed it. She reported the matter to the police on the same day but there have been no leads.
Mthatha police spokeswoman Captain Dineo Koena said she could not confirm whether or not a case of theft had been opened because their computers were off-line.
However, Saturday Dispatch saw a text message sent to Twani by the police with a case number. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
Thieves steal prized gates
The family installed the expensive fence and gates in 2014 and had not encountered any problems until last weekend.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch yesterday, pensioner Thembisa Twani, 67, of Northcrest said her 14-year-old grandson alerted her to the theft on Sunday morning.
“He woke up first and when he came knocking on my bedroom door I thought he had brought my morning coffee, only for him to tell me that the whole yard was left bare. We did not even hear anything through the night. How could we have slept through the incidentand not one of our neighbours saw anything,?” a still visibly heartbroken Twani said.
The former Mtirara Senior Primary School principal admitted that the thieves would have probably hurt her if she had tried to stop them, had she been awake at the time.
She showed the Dispatch pictures of the fence and gate, saying it had been manufactured by a Pietermaritzburg company that specialises in steel structures.
“I will never be able to replace it now because I had used some of my pension money to be able to afford it,” she said.
Twani said her yard used to be the pride of her community but now she was the talk of the town – for all the wrong reasons.
“It was beautiful and shiny. People used to stop and admire my house and now they are looking at us as though the fence was repossessed and that we struggled to pay it off.
“It’s such a cruel thing that they did,” Twani said.
She said she was not sure if this was the work of a syndicate – or a random act of thievery.
“We have heard of three houses that were also hit but in those cases they only took the gate and left the fence.
“I wish they had also taken just the one gate – even though on its own it cost about R44000, but to take everything like this,” she said.
Twani said she felt violated and was now worried about her family’s safety.
“I wake up now in the middle of night thinking I hear voices.
“This used to be such a good neighbourhood but now I am worried that they will either want to come inside the house next time.
“The garage is also exposed which means they can easily steal the car as well,” Twani said.
The pensioner said she would easily identify the gate even if it was already put up at another home, as she had designed it. She reported the matter to the police on the same day but there have been no leads.
Mthatha police spokeswoman Captain Dineo Koena said she could not confirm whether or not a case of theft had been opened because their computers were off-line.
However, Saturday Dispatch saw a text message sent to Twani by the police with a case number. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
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