MYSTERY surrounds the happenings of June 23 after an alleged attempted break-in at the Mondeor Recreation Centre in the early hours of the day.
According to facility manager Mmabatho Tofile, the centre’s caretaker, Vusi Zulu, was notified at about 02:00 that the centre’s alarm had been triggered and went to look for the security guard on duty.
SOS ProTec Sure marketing and public relations manager Martin Barber, said, “On June 23 the alarm activated and we dispatched a car to the scene. On arrival, security officers saw the offices had been broken into and saw two suspects coming out from behind the centre. When the suspects saw the security officers they ran away and hid in the bushes. We also sent back-up and together they found the suspects and arrested them. We contacted SAPS Mondeor, and on their arrival, the suspects were handed over to the SAPS. Constables Maluleke and Martha stated they couldn’t arrest the suspects due to a lack of evidence.”
Zulu said he was alarmed when SAPS officers took at least two and a half hours to arrive and when they finally did, the police officers’ actions shocked him even further.
“SOS security called the police who took their time to arrive. When they arrived at around 04:30 the police took the two guys. The police told them ‘get in the van so we can drop you off where you stay’,” recounted Zulu. “They (SAPS officers) looked like they may have been drinking.”
Mondeor SAPS communications officer Constable Elizabeth Sibongile Mnguni, said, “Mondeor SAPS received the complaint from Mondeor Recreation Centre on June 23 and attended to it. When the officers got to the scene, they interviewed the complainant and SOS security officer. There were two people who were caught by SOS in the vicinity of the Mondeor Recreation Centre. Police found no grounds on which to open a case or to link those people to any criminal case. The allegation that members who attended to the complaint were drunk on duty is being probed by the management of Mondeor SAPS. There was no break-in or any loss or damages of any kind at the Recreation Centre and the complaint came in at 04:00 on June 23 and was attended to at 04:11 on June 23.”
The SAPS maintain officers found no evidence of a break-in at the centre and that there is no evidence to support the two men were ever on the premises where the alleged crime occurred.
