AN uMhlanga businessman is at his wit’s end after his shop was broken into for a fifth time, the third break-in in two weeks. Grant Poppesqou, owner of The Golfers World said he has lost more than R120 000 in cash and merchandise in the recent thefts. He suspects the thieves who have broken into his shop in the last few weeks have been amateurs.
“They are definitely not professionals. These guys smash the window at the front of my store and grab what they can and bolt. They’ve even worked out where the beams and cameras are. They pull the hoodies over their heads and leopard crawl so they don’t trip the alarm. In the latest break-in the suspect took a till and golfer shirts. Since the first break-in I’ve lost nine tills. I asked the security guards to have a look at the bush just behind the outlet park and they managed to retrieve five tills which were damaged beyond repair,” he said.
Poppseqou added of concern, was the Cornubia bridge and interchange off the N2 highway which will be built where the extension of Umhlanga Ridge Boulevard crosses the freeway adjacent to Umhlanga’s flagship Porsche dealership.
“The criminals have used the construction site to mask their movements under the cover of darkness. It’s become an absolute nightmare and an irritation because this is costing me so much. For me it’s not about what you lose, it’s about the inconvenience. I’ve had this business for 12 years and this has only become a problem in the last three years. We are looking at getting a security guard to post in front of the store because these guys are getting away with this.
“We’ve caught these guys on camera but they’ve always blocked their faces. One of the thieves left a bloodied rag in a recent break-in and the police have taken it away to get the fingerprints checked. I have no choice but to do something to protect my business. I can’t install burglar guards on the windows because of the outlet park’s policy. We are trying to figure out the best possible way forward,” he said.
