Stolen purse, valuables returned by Warner Beach roadside job seeker
"I left my handbag containing my purse behind the bar, where I was told it would be safe," _ Catherine.
A NIGHT spent at a popular Warner Beach bar left a visitor to the area infuriated at the theft of her purse that was ‘safely kept’ behind the bar.
However, her upset changed to gratitude as a homeless, job-seeking man found her purse on the road and made sure it was returned to her.
Richards Bay resident, Catherine Wheeler was spending Thursday evening, 13 April at a popular Warner Beach bar when her purse was stolen out of her handbag which she had left for safe-keeping behind the bar.
“I left my handbag containing my purse behind the bar, where I was told it would be safe,” said Catherine. “When the end of the night came I realised my purse had been removed from my handbag.”
Catherine searched the surroundings and queried about her stolen belongings both Thursday night and Friday morning, only to be told this wasn’t an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence. Without any form of security cameras in place, Catherine was infuriated and let the owners of the bar know, as she felt this merely encouraged theft.
“Shortly after I left on my way back to Richards Bay late Friday morning, I received a call from a man, Nixon who had found my purse on the road where he was waiting for work,” said Catherine.
The painter, who waits along Kingsway in the hope of finding a job for the day, had found the purse and after obtaining a contact number from the identification, contacted Catherine and let her know her lost belongings had been found and would be kept for her until she was able to fetch them.
“Inside the purse were two diamond rings, money, bank and credit cards, all my identification and a driver’s license,” said Catherine.
“He could have very easily kept all the contents valuable to him and tossed the rest away, instead he kept it for me until Tuesday morning when I was able to come through to Warner Beach to collect it.”
The cash and one of the rings was missing but Catherine believes it was not Nixon but the thief of the purse that stole those contents. Catherine is ever-grateful to Nixon the painter and promised to vouch for him in his job seeking expedition, as a trustworthy worker found on the roadside is a rare find.
Catherine warns socialites that their bags and belongings may not be as safely stored as one might imagine behind the bar despite empty promises.
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