Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre situated near Letsitele has been plagued with burglaries and theft for almost two decades amounting close to 200 reported cases.
During this despairing period only three cases were dealt with successfully where we, the owners of the centre and our foreign volunteers got their properties back with the thieves being jailed.
However, on September 20 we again fell victim to the local thieves who illegally entered our property and the living quarters of our foreign volunteers.
This time they stole the property of seven volunteers consisting of: clothing, a cellphone and charger, shoes, electronic tablet, prescription medicines, back pack, sunglasses, alcohol, first aid kit, cosmetics, USA passport, driver’s license, 200 US Dollars and South African money.
Volunteer, Corrine Hayes from the USA was devastated with the loss of her passport and driver’s license.
She had to report the theft to her embassy to arrange for a possible temporary travel document to return home.
One of the other volunteers that lost her vitally important prescription medicine, had to make emergency arrangements with local doctors.
The importance of an immediate and thorough investigation was pleaded with the local SAPS and investigating officers, though we thought nothing was going to happen as per all our previous experiences with our SAPS.
Unbelievably, just three days after, the investigating officers, constables Letsoalo and Myambo, took the volunteer’s statements: I received a phone call on September 24 at 07:00 from Constable Letsoalo that they have arrested the thieve(s) and recovered most of the stolen items, except the passport, credit card and drivers license and that the volunteers will be able to collect such.
During the collecting of their stolen property the American volunteer burst out in tears and pleaded with constable Letsoalo to find her passport.
He promised her that he would not rest until he found her passport.
We believe it was another miracle when constable Letsoalo made contact on September 29 to inform me that he had managed to keep his promise and was on his way to deliver her passport personally so that she would be able to fly home on September 30.
It was notable that Letsoalo and Myambo were exhausted when they arrived at Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre to give the American volunteer her passport after days and nights of successful investigative work.
These two absolute dedicated investigating constables are prime examples of what the SAPS should strive for.
Not only did they recover the stolen items, but have also rearrested the escaped prisoner who was reported about a couple of weeks ago in the Letaba Herald.
I congratulate the Letsitele SAPS station commander, Colonel Machete under whose command these two constables work for their highly commendable achievements.
It made me feel so humble to have learned that Colonel Machete actually personally sponsored the meals for the two constables whilst they were searching day and night for our volunteers’ possessions and especially for the 18 year old American female volunteer’s passport and belongings.
This incident is commendable and has definitely helped me to believe that there are good reliable and trustworthy police.
