GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - In the Graaff-Reinet SAPS cluster of Aberdeen, Graaff-Reinet, Jansenville and Willowmore, one man was murdered, and one driver died in a motor vehicle accident.
There were three cases where goods were stolen from a motor vehicle, and one vehicle itself was stolen.
As far as property-related crimes, there were four business burglaries, three residential burglaries and one case of burglary with intent unknown.
A member of the SAPS received a complaint on 15 June at about 23:20 from the hospital regarding a 34-year old man who had been stabbed with a knife and had passed away. On the SAPS member’s arrival at the hospital, he was told the name of the suspect by the victim’s sister.
The incident took place near Zamanuni’s Tavern in Umasizakhe, and it is alleged that the victim was fighting with the suspect’s friend. The suspect then tried to intervene by taking the knife from the friend (who was thought to have hurt the victim). The victim then grabbed the suspect by the throat and choked her; she then stabbed the victim once in the chest. The 24-year-old suspect was detained.
There was an accident on the N9 between Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen on 17 June at about 21:00, 10km from Graaff-Reinet.
It is alleged that the driver of a bakkie, an 18-year-old youth, was travelling at high speed and about 10km outside Graaff-Reinet, he tried to overtake another vehicle. He lost control of the bakkie and it overturned several times before coming to a standstill. The driver was declared dead at the scene of the accident, and his 13 year old passenger sustained minor injuries. The case is under investigation.
There was also a recent influx of theft of, out of and from motor vehicles this past week.
In the first incident, which occurred in Graaff-Reinet on 12 June, the complainant found one of the business’s trucks cut open with an unknown object, and nappies to the value of R1 000 had been stolen. The vehicle was parked on the business’s premises at Factory Street.
On 13 June, the complainant’s vehicle was parked in the Shoprite parking area. Just after 17:00, when he returned to his vehicle, he found that the truck’s back door was open and sweets to the value of R587 were missing.
In the third case, the complainant, who lives in Ame St, Umasizakhe, parked his vehicle in his garage on 13 June at 18:00 and locked the garage door. The next day, at about 04:05, he was woken by the bakkie’s alarm and upon investigation, he found that the garage door was open and the back window of the bakkie broken. The combined cost of the damage and items stolen is R1 600.
In a case of attempted theft out of a motor vehicle,according to the complainant a suspect tried to break into his vehicle in Gordon Street (Cypress Grove) on 14 June at about 03:30, but he (the complainant) must have disturbed the suspect as nothing was stolen from the vehicle. A side window had been broken. The damage to the vehicle is R3 000.
A woman parked her vehicle in the yard at her home in Somerset Street, Graaff-Reinet on 14 June at just after 6pm. At around 10pm the same evening, she heard her vehicle starting and when she went to investigate, she saw that someone was driving the vehicle towards Church Street. She immediately contacted the police, who later recovered her vehicle at the Pearston Cross.
In all of these cases, there are no suspects or witnesses at this stage, and the cases are still under investigation.
There were eight property-related crimes in this period, four in Graaff-Reinet and four in Willowmore.
The first incident took place between noon on June 5 and 12 June at 09:00 at Conlock Street, Graaff-Reinet. The complainant reports that his garage was broken into during this period and power tools, a generator and chainsaw stolen to the value of R11 295. No suspects or witnesses at this stage. Case is under investigation.
The second incident, at Iris Street, Asherville, took place on 10 June between the hours of 01:15 and 05:30. According to the complainant, she was socialising with a friend until 01:15 in the morning at her home, and then she went to bed. When she woke up the next morning, she found her door was forced open and her cell phone and tablet, valued at R5 500, were missing. The tablet was later recovered by the complainant. Neighbours told her who the suspect is, but there has been no arrest as yet.
Another incident took place on 14 June at about 12:30 the afternoon at Johnant St, Willowmore.
According to the complainant, she locked up her house when she went out and upon her return, she found that the door had been forced open. Upon further investigation, it was found that shoes and a cell phone to the value of R1 470 were missing.
Sometime between 14 June (17:00) and 15 June (01:38) a break-in occurred at PEP Stores in Knysna Street, Willowmore. According to the manager of the business, she was informed that the alarm went off and she arrived at the premises with the SAPS. They then found the storeroom’s padlock missing from the door and shoes lying outside the storeroom. It appears that the padlock had been opened without any force. The items stolen, and the value thereof, cannot be determined as yet as they have to do a stocktake.
There was also a break-in at Willowmore Secondary School, sometime between 14 June (14:00) and 15 June (06:20). According to the complainant, all classroom doors were locked on 14 June, but when he went back to the school on 15 June, he noticed that one of the classroom’s doors had been forced open. It is not certain what is stolen at this stage.
Also in Knysna Street, Willowmore,there was a break-in at Koekeloer Liquor Store between 14 June at 20:00 and 15 June at 08:00.The complainant alleges that she locked all the doors of the premises at about 20:00 on 14 June, and when she went to open the business the next day at 08:00, she found that the front door of the premises had been forced open and liquor, cash, as well as the cash register were missing. Value of these items at this stage is R10 940.
There were two more cases in Graaff-Reinet. One happened between 09:30 on 30 May and 10:10 on 14 June at Municipal Stores in Oval Drive. All that is known is that roof sheets were removed during the period and wire to the value of R15 000 was stolen.
The final incident took place at the Municipal Town Hall in Graaff-Reinet between 16:20 on 14 June and 07:50 on 15 June. At this stage it is suspected that the perpetrator gained entry to the property at the bathroom and damaged the door. At this stage, it seems as if though nothing has been stolen, but damage to the property is R7 000.
All of these cases are still under investigation.
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