Manenberg community centre’s fence stolen, but two kind locals offer to cart it back

Fed up with crime, two Manenberg residents offered to put bits of a stolen fence into a trolley and take it back to the local community centre from where it had been cut down, City of Cape Town spokesperson Wayne Dyason said on Monday.

On Sunday, the City’s rapid response unit and facilities protection officers were tipped off about a theft in progress just before 6:00. The metal fence of the Manenberg Community Centre  – including poles – was being cut up and stolen.

When the units arrived, they saw two men leaving the scene and, on searching their bags, found two hacksaws.

A security guard identified them as the alleged thieves and they were taken to the Manenberg police station.

As the investigation proceeded, a detective got information about poles from the fence being cut up as they spoke.

They went to a house in Sonderend Street and found two large sections of the City’s palisade fencing on the property.

One person was arrested in connection with the theft.

Officers recognised him as someone they had arrested in 2015 for cable theft.

And then the team was pleasantly surprised by a gesture from a couple of residents.

“Two locals, in a real show of the community getting involved in the fight against crime, offered to use their trolley to ferry the stolen property back to the community centre,” said Dyason.

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