The Durbanville Rose Garden’s storeroom, the Round Table and a local business have all fallen prey to a wave of burglaries that have cost them thousands of rand.
From Tuesday August 17 to Monday August 23, burglars hit the Round Table at Sport Way, the Rose Garden in Durban Road and Nano Design in Oostenberg Street, according to Durbanville police spokesman Captain Marchell Rhode.
The perpetrators are still at large.
The non-profit Round Table runs feeding schemes and community-outreach projects. It had been burgled three times, on Tuesday August 17, Wednesday August 18 and Monday August 23, said Walter Groenewald, the organisation’s chairman.
The stolen goods alone had cost the Round Table almost R10 000, but the burglars had caused more than R11 000 damage to a door, a palisade fence, two security gates, windows and a fridge, he said.
Leon Marais, owner of Nano Design, which supplies timber for wendy houses, said his business had been hit on Friday August 20 and again on Monday August 23.
“There have been numerous attempts, but this time they breached our outer perimeters. They stole our extractor fan from our new Timber DIY shop we are opening soon in November to service the surrounding areas in Durbanville.”
Copper cable had been taken along with the extractor fan, he said, adding that there had been a wave of cable theft in the area.
“I would not be surprised if it was the same crew. Just the other night, cables were stolen again nearby us.”
Mr Marais estimated the total damage to his property was R70000.
Captain Rhode said the Rose Garden had been burgled on Friday August 20 and again on Monday August 23. A storeroom door was forced and clothing worth R3300 taken.
The Rose Garden, a municipal attraction, and the City of Cape Town did not respond to questions by time of publication.
In a separate incident, a woman was robbed of her earrings, necklace, cellphone and iPad, in Stelleberg Gardens, Eversdal, on Tuesday August 24, at 3pm.
“She thought it was the workers that came to fix the solar panels,” said Captain Rhode. “She waved at them and opened the door of her flat. The three suspects went to her complex and forced her door further open and pushed her to the floor.”
The men fled from the complex and are still at large.