ROSEMARY Schesser, a tourist from Singapore who was robbed by three men in Pinetown on Monday, 24 August, opened a case with the Hillcrest SAPS immediately after the incident took place. Previous media reports based on information received from the SAPS stated that she had not reported the matter, but in fact she had done so.
Schesser was in her vehicle when the robbers approached her, taking advantage of her open window and threatening her with a knife to rob her of her engagement ring and gold bangles. A pastor, Vusi Dube, took photographs of the men committing the crime and assisted in chasing them down.
The three alleged robbers were kept in police custody at the Pinetown police station and were going to be released if no case was opened.
Schesser’s sister in law, Liz Roberts, said she received an SMS from the Hillcrest SAPS with the case number, but wasn’t sure what to do with it: “When I got the SMS I was confused, because I hadn’t opened a case, and it didn’t click in my head that it could be for my sister-in-law,” she said.
Schesser does not have a local number, so she used her sister-in-law’s number as a contact when she opened the case.
It was only in the afternoon that Schesser’s brother in law went to Pinetown SAPS to report the case, but he was not successful because he didnt have the case number with him.
Pinetown SAPS communications officer, Cst Phindile Radebe, said the suspected robbers have been released and there must have been a delay in the transporting of the dockets from Hillcrest to Pinetown.
“We are working very hard to arrest the suspected robbers,” said Radebe.