THE theft of 10 solar panels has left the St. Francis of Assisi Anglican Church in Meyersdal with thousands of rands worth of losses.
Solar panels at a Meyersdal Anglican church, which were cross-shaped, were stolen in the wee hours of Sunday on March 24.
The cost of the stolen panels is estimated at R20 000. It is believed that the criminals gained access by breaking through a palisade fence. There were no witnesses.
This criminal activity was a first since the church’s 22 years of existence.
Parish priest Father Motsamai Sebowane strongly condemned the criminal activity.
“We are saddened by this. The solar panels were valuable to us since they aided us, more especially in times of load- shedding. We rely mostly on the solar for lighting and for most things in the church; this means more expenditure. We cannot suspect anyone as this could have been done by anyone,” said Sebowane.
Keith Holliman, a churchwarden, said that there was now no reverence shown towards churches.
“This has made me realise that there’s no longer respect for religious property. We are shocked by this criminal activity. It shows that nothing is sacred anymore to people. There will be safety measures put in place to avoid such similar incidents in the future,” he said.
A case was opened with the Brackenhurst SAPS.
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