On Monday, April 7 at 07:50 the most recent incident happened when Ms Helda Goosen was seated inside her vehicle.
“My window was open only a little bit and my doors were locked. One of the men came to my window and said that he was a car guard,” recalls a shocked Goosen.
When Goosen opened her door, he jumped inside her vehicle, almost of top of her, and ripped off the golden chain that was around her neck.
While this was happening, his cap fell into her car and landed on the passenger side of the vehicle.
“When he had the chain, he ran off with another two men into the long grass,” said Goosen.
“I would just like to warn all the women that go down to the license department to not wear any jewellery, or carry cell phones or handbags,” said Goosen.
In a separate incident that took place on April 1 early in morning, a woman took her husband, who was on crutches, to the license department as he needed to collect some papers.
She waited for her husband in the car, while he went inside. One of the car guards came to her window and said that her husband on the crutches had fallen.
The woman got out of her vehicle and made her way back around the building to look for her husband.
When she got around the corner, one car guard stepped out in front of her and pulled off her necklace.
“I could feel him breathe all over me, that’s how close he was,” said the traumatised woman.
When she got to her husband who had not fallen, he said that they also tried to take his cell phone from him.
“Due to the labour unrest in the municipality, your questions can only be attended to at a later stage. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused,” said Mr Lebo Mofokeng, spokesperson for Emalahleni City Council, when approached for comment.
Dames, hierdie is nie die eerste keer wat dit in Witbank se middestad en ook by enige ander parkeerareas gebeur nie. Dit gebeur al lankal, orals waar daar Departementele en Munisipale, ens. kantore is, ook waar daar gewone winkels is. Daar is nerens veiligheid nie want die karwagte en die diewe werksaam. Die beste is om geen juwele, handsakke, selfone of enige iets daar te he nie, moenie eers in jou voertuig bere nie, want dan breek hulle net die venster en steel nogtans.