An Ottery man appeared in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court today after he was busted for stealing nearly 1000 bakstene from a local library.
The 35-year-old man was nabbed on Sunday night after cops received a tip-off that the bricks stolen from Ottery Library were stored at a council flat at Rosedale Court.
Law Enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason says skelms have started destroying City of Cape Town facilities across the metro, stealing everything from pipes to paving.
“The paving at Ottery Library has been removed for a long time now as the thieves have taken to removing the bricks,” says Dyason.
“Each time the officers responded, they had already fled the scene.
“On Sunday night officers received a tip-off about the bricks being stored at a flat in Rosedale Court.
“During the search, officers found nearly 1000 bricks stored in a front room.
“The 35-year-old suspect was taken into custody and charged for possession of suspected stolen City property.”
According to a source, the suspect remained toebek when questioned about who is buying the stolen bricks.
Dyason says the next day officers of the Rapid Response Unit were on duty in Mfuleni when they spotted four men stealing brick paving between Mfuleni Main Road and Forest Drive in Eersteriver Way.
“They approached the suspects who fled when they saw the officers. They gave chase, but managed to apprehend one suspect.
“A total of 108 paving bricks were recovered.
“The suspect was arrested and taken to Kleinvlei SAPS for processing.”
Last month, members of Lentegeur East Sector 2 neighbourhood watch caught a woman on camera as two men stole brick paving from the Lentegeur Train Station and loaded it into her VW Golf.
Mayco member for Community Services and Health Zahid Badroodien says municipal facilities across the metro have come under siege by skelms who are slowly destroying libraries, community halls and other facilities.
“For some time now we have seen anything from fences, air conditioning units, pipes and other items being stolen from our libraries.
“The theft of bricks is becoming common as not only City facilities but even transport infrastructure is under threat.
“The cost of the damage caused is enormous as each time there is a theft, repairs need to be undertaken to avoid injury and to ensure our communities can make use of these facilities.”
The City is offering a R5000 reward for any information on skelms destroying these facilities.
Call 107 from a cellphone or 021 480 7700 to report a theft.