Car thieves target uMhlanga councillor
Car thieves left a local ward councillor stranded at school sports event.
LOCAL ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, fell prey to crime at the weekend when car thieves made off with his car.
De Boer was shocked and outraged when his vehicle was stolen from right outside the Glenashley Junior Primary School while he was attending a sports day event.
Fortunately his vehicle had been fitted with a tracking device, and authorities were able to track it within an hour. It was later recovered in Umlazi.
“It is a frustrating experience. Not only did it leave my kids and I stranded, but they also completely destroyed my dashboard, ripping it out to get to the cables to jump-start my vehicle,” he said.
According to the De Boer, criminals are brazenly targeting vehicles north of Durban and increasingly strike at school functions when they know people will be preoccupied.
“After stealing the vehicles they drive them to a remote location where they leave them unattended for several hours to see if the vehicle has been fitted with a tracking device. If the authorities do not show up in a certain amount of time, they take the vehicle to a ‘chop shop’ where it is stripped for parts,” said De Boer.
At least ten vehicles are stolen in areas north of Durban on a daily basis, he said.
