Criminals ransacked the offices of the Gift of the Givers in Cape Town on the weekend and fled off with a laptop, TVs, office chairs and relief packs for the Western Cape fire victims.
This was confirmed by Gift of the Givers project manager Ali Sablay, who told IOL the burglary was noticed by staff members after the main door of the building was left open.
“We can confirm a laptop, PC, TV and clothing were stolen. The clothing that was stolen was being packed by our team to make packs for the fire victims in the last six fires that have occurred in the Western Cape,” Sablay was quoted as saying by the publication.
“Upstairs we are yet to see what was taken. The staircase and offices are in a complete mess at the moment.
“Some awards and frames that were given to Gift of the Givers were also stolen,” Sablay told IOL.
He pleaded with the criminals to return the laptop that was stolen as it contained names of people who were registered for social assistance.
Sablay said the organisation thanked the community members who had assisted the police with investigating the break-in. However, Sablay said there were elements within communities who could have been responsible for the break-in while their families benefited from the services provided by Gift of the Givers.
“It could have been your mother, your grandmother’s name on the laptop,” said Sablay.
“This does not affect Gift of the Giver’s operations; this was not our warehouse that was broken into, it was our office that was broken into.”
He said 11 people caught with stolen goods had been taken in for questioning.
“Lansdowne police are investigating a case of a business break-in. No arrests have been made at this stage,” said police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk.
Anyone with information about this incident is requested to contact the Lansdowne police station at 021 700 9046 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
Source: News24, IOL, The Citizen, Daily Maverick, Eyewitness News, image from Twitter: @CliffShiko